UNIQUE CHALLENGES; Admission Essay for Occupational Therapy Program

I am applying for the Occupational Therapy Program and need advice. Please let me know how I can improve this. I've been out of school for a little while and its difficult for me to get back into writing essays. I appreciate all feedback!

Everyone has their own unique challenges to face throughout life. I've seen people with a variety of challenges to face. Everyday someone has a new challenge to face, and I want to be the person to give them hope. Occupational Therapists have a way to take a challenging situation that someone may feel despair or hopeless, and using creativity to give them that hope to keep going. My passion for helping people and giving them the tools they need to succeed shapes my life. The desire to help others as an occupational therapist begins with my past.

As a teenager, I always knew I wanted to help others and bring them hope. Many of my family members passed away due to cancer, so to do what I could to help, I created a relay for life team and continued to participate in the even many years afterwards. This led me to find an interest in psychology. I pursued this path and earned a B.A. in psychology and an A.A. in human services with the hope of improving the lives of others.

I continued to work in the human service field as a mental health associate. This position encouraged me to grow and understand all the different barriers that exist for many individuals. I developed my skills of patience and compassion and brought them to my next position as an employment specialist. During my time in this position, I learned how much I enjoyed working with someone who had a physical barrier and teaching them how to overcome that barrier and get a job in the community. Each day I was challenged by a new issue and with the individual, developed new goals and suggestions on how to overcome those issues. I truly treasured working with people who had difficulties and teaching skills so they could overcome their barriers and continue down the path of self-sufficiency.

As much as I love this line of work, I realize I need to continue my education so I can help more than a small population of people who have intellectual disabilities, but serve all the citizens of Alaska. I have always been impressed with everything that occupational therapists have done to improve the lives of others. My first exposure to occupational therapy was when my boyfriend's mother had experienced pain in her left hip. She discovered the joint had worn out and she needed to get it replaced. After going through the surgery, the physical therapist and the occupational therapist began working with her the next day. Where the physical therapist gave her exercises to do, the occupational therapist gave her hope that she would be able to do the things she loved once more and continue to be independent. In other words, the Occupational Therapist gave her hope to help her heal.

Everyone has their own unique challenges to face throughoutin their life. I ve seensee people with a variety of challenges to face.( i see people taking challenges on various terms) Everyday someone has a new challenge to face/meet, and I want to be the person to give them hope. Occupational Therapists have a way to take up a challenging situation that someone may feel despair or hopeless, andbut using creativity to give them thatcreates a hope to keep going. My passion for helping people and giving them the tools they need to succeed shapes my life. The desire to help others as an occupational therapist begins with my past.

All these sentences revolve around just the same axis which is challenges to face. This makes the reader bored , So avoid repeating the same idea again and again.


Occupational Therapists too face a challenging situation which is turning people who feel despair or hopeless into creative souls with a hope to keep moving.