Elizabeth entered the Master’s program in 2015 and hit the ground running. She joined the Department’s Research Committee and, along with a few of her classmates Elizabeth, put together a Students’ Research Corner for our website and created several short videos about studying at OS&OT. Both the website pages and the videos provide guidance and information for new and potential students.
Elizabeth is also engaged in many activities throughout the university and in the community.
We asked Elizabeth to tell us more about herself and her time (so far) in the department.
Tell us what it was that attracted you to the OS&OT program at U of T.
The placement opportunities are the best, we have the opportunity to work at some of the biggest and most innovative hospitals and community centres in Ontario. Given my interest in research, the research component was another factor that made the UofT OS&OT program attractive to me. I am really happy with my decision!
Do you have any specific areas of interest?
Most of my experience is working with children so naturally that is a population I am interested in. Since starting this program, I have really enjoyed learning about anything related to the brain. I am excited for my future placements to really find what parts of OT really interests me.
What have been some of the best aspects of being involved in the Research Committee?
The research committee has been a great way to see how complex conducting research is and the challenges in disseminating results. I enjoyed working with my peers to create the new student research corner that helps promote OS&OT research to students and professionals.
What other activities are you engaged in?
Outside of class I am pretty busy. This year, I am volunteering at Holland Bloorview with some of my classmates to work with their clients to create Halloween costumes. I teach squash at UofT which I enjoy because it’s a great way to destress when the workload gets heavy. I am also on the Community Involvement Committee where we provide opportunities for our classmates to be engaged in the community. My favourite event from last year was the Ronald McDonald “Home for Dinner” program, as it was very rewarding to see how happy the families were to have a home cooked meal after a long day at SickKids.
What do you hope to do after graduating?
Initially I came into the program wanting to work in in-patient rehabilitation. However, with each class and placement opportunity, I have realized that there are many practice areas that are of interest to me. Currently, working with children living with neurological related disabilities is my goal, but I am always open to discovering new opportunities.