Leadership: SOTA Presidency

 

SOTA News Letter 2024

    I came into OT school with the idea of starting fresh. I was already coming to a city where I didn't know anyone nor did I know anyone in my class. I was truly starting from the ground up. This was uncomfortable to me, as my whole life I always knew what was coming next or knew someone doing the same thing as me. I wanted to take this opportunity and truly excel within it. I wanted to do big things, make a mark on campus, and fall in love with the city and program here.

    Leadership has always been big for me, I love taking on roles that make me uncomfortable and being involved in organizations. During my time in undergrad at UTK, I was always super involved in organizations that interested me. One thing about me, I have a serious case of FOMO if I'm not involved in something- so here I was joining everything and anything. I also learned the importance of time management but also realized I do my best when I am occupied with things to do and have a lot on my plate. Weird I know. I never like to sit still, I need to keep doing and doing. I took this trait with me into grad school as well. 

    Being the first in my family to go to grad school and pursue a career in the health professional world, I wanted to embrace any open door of opportunities and take advantage of things I would never get offered again once I graduated. That was always my mindset coming into school. I never want to live a life in regret and it's safe to say, I continue to stand by that. When leadership opportunities arose in grad school, I jumped into researching what role would fit best for me. I wanted to be important and do something I had never really done before. I decided to run for Class Vice President, which I did not get. Was I bummed about it? Definitely, no one likes to lose. I had put myself out there and felt gutted and embarrassed. But I came back up when it came to choosing leadership positions for organizations within the school. When people say things happen for a reason, I fully believe it. The Student Occupational Therapy Association always stuck out to me. It was an umbrella of everything I wanted in school. I wasn't confident enough to run for President at the time, but with the support of my family and friends, I gained the courage to run for it. I said my speech, got my votes, and next thing you know I got it. I felt so proud of myself for doing something I had never done before- out of my comfort zone.

    With this opportunity, I made goals for myself and my exec board, including what changes we can make and what can we do better. During my time as president, we were able to expand on so many opportunities within the campus and community and truly put our department out there. I felt unstoppable with the feeling I felt of putting myself out there and letting my creativity come out. There were times when this position itself was a challenge. Navigating the complexities of representing diverse student voices, fostering an inclusive environment, and ensuring our events met everyone's needs taught me a great deal. I also learned how to address healthcare and education within the organization, expanding our resources and finding ways to give back to our Memphis community. This role refined my leadership skills, deepened my understanding of service, and emphasized the importance of effective communication- especially when leading a group of people. 

    I would not have been able to excel as best as I could being SOTA president without the support of our faculty, SOTA Exec Board, and classmates. This will always be an opportunity I will be forever thankful for. 

    As I transition out of this role, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences and lessons I learned. I look forward to applying the skills and insights I have gained in my upcoming Level II Fieldwork Rotations and as a future practitioner. I am excited to see the amazing work the future SOTA leaders will accomplish for our department at UTHSC!