University of Indianapolis second year occupational therapy students Michael Agyemang, Christine Denman, Tyra Schantz, and Kayla Welsh had the rewarding opportunity to work with the staff and residents of the Abbie Hunt Bryce Home during their community fieldwork experience. The Abbie Hunt Bryce Home is a home that offers a warm and comforting environment for individuals who are experiencing homelessness in addition to carrying a diagnosis, which warrants hospice services. This collection of motivated students took on the task of addressing and tackling occupational deprivation in the residents of the home. The students felt the residents at the home needed an avenue to express themselves in a way that allowed for reflection on the joys of their lives. Alongside Abbie Hunt Bryce Home administrator, Renita Johnson, the students created an activity called “Stories in the Sand.” This activity allowed the residents to develop a representation of themselves in the form of various colored sand, rocks, shells and stones; created through the use of their hands. The completed Stories in the Sand artifact was not meant to be a representation for others to see after they had passed, but a presentation of what they wanted to portray to the world while they lived.
Check out the video the MOT students created to share their experience.
Michael Agyemang- “Working with the residents at the Abbie Hunt Bryce Home was a great and rewarding experience, they all had such great stories to tell and very interesting lives. It really makes you think about life in a new light.”
Christine Denman- “Working with Abbie Hunt Bryce Home was a wonderful experience. I did not even know that places like that existed so it was very rewarding to get the opportunity to work with the individuals that were living there. These people all have stories to tell and it was great to allow those who participated to share their stories with us. It was very gratifying and hopefully students will continue to have placements there.”
Tyra Schantz- “The Stories in the Sand project was very rewarding and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the residents at the Abbie Hunt Bryce Home. It was such a blessing to play a small role in helping the residents reflect back on their life story and create their individualized Stories in the Sand.”
Kayla Welsh- "The Abbie Hunt Bryce Home was very welcoming and receptive. Having the opportunity to hear resident's individual and unique life stories was very enlightening an experience I will never forget."
Well, my first year of OT school is almost complete. I am in the final stretch of projects, presentations and competencies. Next, I get to look forward to all of the lovely finals and lab practicals. I will have to admit that this semester has been quite the balancing act. However, I have been reassured by multiple second years in the program that if I make it past this semester, I will make it through the rest of the program. This semester has taught me the importance of not procrastinating and that time management is essential for graduate school.

On a personal level, two of our faculty members serve as great role models to students and staff. In addition to her full-time job as a nursing professor, Dr. Marjorie Porter serves as the Executive Director for the Good Shepherd Community Clinic located in the First Presbyterian Church in Martinsville, Indiana. The clinic was started in April 2006 by the health ministry at the church. Funded primarily by the Kendrick Foundation and donations from community groups and individuals, Dr. Porter and several others got the clinic up and running. The clinic is open every Saturday morning and serves uninsured Morgan County adults who are below federal poverty guidelines. Approximately 250 adults are seen each year. The clinic requires a staff of three MDs, one Nurse practitioner, one psychiatrist, one diabetes nurse educator, 12 Registered Nurses, four pharmacists, one social worker, and many lay volunteers to support its mission. 
“This trip has renewed my spirit and reminded me why I became an OT in the first place…there is so much I can do to make a positive impact on the world I live in both here in the US and around the world. I feel like this trip will be the spring board that launches me into the next phase of my career and life. I am still not sure exactly where I am headed, but I now have the courage to take that leap and find a way to use my skills as an OT to help those in need here and around the world in new and creative ways. I felt the experience only benefited my development…the trip strengthened my skills in creativity and greater confidence in my skills to provide intervention without many resources at my fingertips…I used my problem solving techniques during all interactions while using my knowledge of the body systems and OT to provide education and training to all involved.”
“I learned the importance of collaboration between physical and occupational therapists; we have a lot to offer one another! It was helpful and truly enjoyable to work with physical therapy students and discuss our reasoning and approach for each client and work together to achieve a similar goal! But most importantly, I learned more about myself; this opportunity sparked a passion for international services that I hope to continue in the future. I learned to be appreciative of the small things, thankful for the healthcare services that are provided, and the opportunity to…practice occupational therapy! I am so truly thankful for this experience and the wonderful people I met along the way, it was unforgettable!“
Well, my first week of being an
I would also like to mention the presence of our international students in the postprofessional program. These students have enriched my life and the culture of the University of Indianapolis. Their contributions to the University, College of Health Sciences, and as practicing therapists are significant. Students and faculty gather in our homes and at on-campus events for sharing and celebration. I am so grateful for their collegiality, broadening of my world view, and contributions as practicing therapists.
Attending the 2012 AOTA conference was absolutely a great experience. Having the event in Indianapolis was perfect. Being fairly new to this city, I do have to admit that this city does a fantastic job of hosting events. Having the opportunity to meet various occupational therapy students and practicing clinicians from across the country was remarkable. Everyone I came across and spoke to was so encouraging and positive; and trust me I am not easy to impress. It was comforting to see the sheer excitement and candid expressions from everyone involved in this coming together of the minds.
Have you ever been, or considered going, to Belize to provide professional service or as a service-learning student? During the past 3 years, I have fallen in love with my “adopted second home," and have had the privilege of taking several of our MOT and UIndy pre-occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students and a couple of School of Occupational Therapy faculty there with me on a yearly basis to provide brief OT intervention. This summer I am ever so excited to be teaching Seminar in International Practice, which will allow me and my co-trip leader, Krannert School of Physical Therapy faculty member Dr. Bill Staples, to take 5 postprofessional OT and PT students, 5 DPT students, and 2 OT/PT guests to Belize for 2 weeks in July for service-learning and service-provision activities with a wide variety of Belizean partners. One of the really neat things about these trips is that we are pioneers in most senses of the word (although we do stay in air-conditioned accommodations!), as there are currently no practicing OTs (that I’m aware of) and very few practicing PTs in Belize.
Belize is a developing country, who just won her independence from Great Britain in 1981. As a fairly new nation, she is working to develop sustainable infrastructures, and take care of her people, who comprise a mix of rich cultural backgrounds and lifestyles (including people of Mayan, Mestizo, Asian, Lebanese, Mennonite, Indian, and Creole descent, along with many “ex-pats” who have emigrated there from the U.S., Canada, and Europe). The national language is English; although of course there are those who primarily speak Spanish or one of the Mayan dialects. Belize is truly a beautiful country, with her numerous ruins, caves, beaches, and other “tourist attractions”, but what really brings me back there time after time, and makes me long to be there once I return home, is the openness and friendly, welcoming nature of everyone whom I’ve met there—all are so appreciative of our therapeutic and service-related gifts, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to us.
When I went on my first spring trip there in 2009 as a co-trip leader of a student trip, I worked to gather oral histories from residents of a retirement center in San Ignacio. The following year I took 3 MOT students back with me to the same facility. Last year, we grew to 8 MOT students, 2 faculty, and a school in addition to the retirement center. This summer, we will partner with the original facilities plus 2 additional retirement centers, another primary school, CARE-Belize (which is like our first-steps, serving children from birth to school-age), NaRCIE (the National Resource Center for Inclusive Education), for school-aged children, a karate club, 2 local physicians, and a hospice nurse providing home care in San Ignacio and Belize City. Whew! The word is out! But I believe we are up to the challenge, despite limited resources—we have brave hearts, after all!
I had the opportunity to travel to China, along with fellow
In my mind, one of the most amazing sites was the terra cotta warriors of Xian. These warriors, along with horses and chariots, were built during the 3rd century BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China in order to protect him in the afterlife. First unearthed in 1974, these more than 8,000 warriors are part of the largest active archeological site in the world. The army of warriors consists of various military ranks such as generals and archers. Although the bodies of each rank are shaped the same, each of the warriors has unique facial characteristics. Imagining the time and resources that were part of their construction at that point in history was mind-boggling. As these warriors are being unearthed, they are rarely found intact, leaving the archeologists with a rather daunting, jigsaw puzzle!
The ISSL was hosted by the Ningbo Institute of Technology, a sister university to UIndy. Although a highly interdisciplinary conference, there were physical therapists there from Wheeling Jesuit University and South Africa. Students who were majoring in English at NIT served as volunteers to help us find our way around. Many of these students will travel to UIndy to finish their English degree, so were full of questions about life here in Indianapolis!
Although we saw some amazing sites, it was the smaller cultural experiences that I believe will be the most memorable. We were faced with new kinds of foods, drinks, and toilets (yes, I said toilets!) at every turn! I became quite skilled with chopsticks and am proud to say I tried duck, un-boned fish, and many unknown vegetables (Julie won the prize though with the crocodile intestines!) However, despite these different experiences, in many ways it was the ‘sameness’ that struck me the most. Watching a mother interact with her child, seeing school children on a field trip, and tracking an older adult trying to cross the street, really emphasized to me how much we all share.
Faculty members, Kristi Hape, Jennifer Fogo, and Candy Beitman, traveled to Belize and supported the practice areas of geriatrics, pediatrics, and community based practice with eight Level I MOT students. They completed home based visits with wheelchair modifications, community mental health, community retirement center, early intervention, and school based interventions within the emerging area of OT practice in Belize.
My experience at the AOTA Student Conclave was better than I could have ever imagined. Ten University of Indianapolis occupational therapy students represented our school at the conference in Louisville, KY. We did all those things one would expect at a conference: networked with other students and practitioners, conversed with exhibitors about job prospects, and attended many informative sessions on topics such as fieldwork, areas of practice, and passing the national exam… However, the most amazing thing, for me, was the boost in confidence I received. I am more confident that I will be an outstanding entry-level OT, that I am entering an amazing profession, and that I am gaining an excellent education that is preparing me very well for the field I am about to enter.
My first week in graduate school here at the University was really a great experience. I was impressed with the parking lot and the convenience because it was right in front of my School. I attended one class to the other and occasionally found myself in the wrong class, which could have been because I was overwhelmed with the amount of information that was given to me. I began to realize that graduate school was not going to be like my undergraduate program because a lot is expected from me, such as research. The faculty members were really friendly and constantly asking how I was doing with managing school and family life (I have three kids and drive from Muncie every day to school). Another thing that struck me was the teaching method in the School. Professors not only teach verbally, but they bring in guest speakers, as well. The guests speak about a disease or condition that they have that relates to the topic of discussion; this gives us a realistic approach to what we are discussing.
Hello! I’m a first year graduate student in the Occupational Therapy Program. I am from Ohio and was very unfamiliar with the area and was very nervous to start this new chapter of my life. I was lucky enough to find roommates through the MOT program. I live directly across from the University with three second-year OT students and one other first year student. So, not only do I have less than a five minute walk to campus, but I started off already knowing people which made the transition much easier. Although the stress level in our house can get high, we always have someone to turn to because we are all going through this together.
My attitude about going to graduate school was negative. I was nervous about beginning a new school and worried about how I would fit in. The first week at the University of Indianapolis changed my attitude 100%. My professors were all helpful and positive which let me know I was going to be just fine. My advisor walked me through everything I needed to know and answered all of my questions. The things that stand out at this school are how organized the program is and how friendly the staff members are. Everyone wants you to succeed, and that is a great feeling!
CSM as an elected member of the Student Assembly Board of Directors (SABoD) was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
Students at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School learned more about living with physical disabilities through a unique exercise conducted by graduate students from the University of Indianapolis’ nationally recognized