USC Chan Division Global Initiatives

The happiest holiday wishes from USC Chan Global Initiatives! Last week, we officially launched a "Pen Pal Letter Writing Exchange" program with 6 wonderful partners around the world: - Asia University, Taiwan... - Bethlehem University - - Escuela Colombiana de Rehabilitación - Griffith University Occupational Therapy, - National Cheng Kung University, and - University of ghana, Thank you to all the students, staff, and faculty around the world who worked so hard to make these global connections happen! Stay safe everyone, as we all hope for a happier and healthier 2021!

Global Initiatives celebrates with all our students who finished the 2020 Fall semester today!! Congratulations to all of you, who have persevered through a term that required you to dig deep into your resilience, adaptability, and your spirit of FIGHTING ON together. Here's hoping for better days to come!

Happy World Occupational Therapy Day 2020, from the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy! This year's theme of "Reimagine Doing" seems so fitting, and we send our warmest wishes to friends both near and far! In this video, we share how many of us around the world have been "reimagining" our doings. A big thank you to our friends who shared their stories with us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUYDmCuqRgM&feature=youtu.be

Last night, the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy was joined by Dr. Sakshi Tickoo and Prutha Satpute, two amazing Indian occupational therapists who shared their professional journeys with us. Dr. Sakshi is the founder of "Sex, Love, and OT" (https://www.sexloveandot.com), which provides education and counseling services in the areas of sexuality and intimate occupations in India, and Prutha is a current USC Chan OTD student completing her residency in the Division's NICU research laboratory. Thank you to both of you for sharing your passions and missions which traverse global borders!

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the MA-1 Class of 2021 who had their White Coat Ceremony today! Your dedication to this profession and your resilience throughout this journey is beyond admirable. We are SO proud of each and everyone of you! Welcome to the Trojan Family

Global Initiatives would like to wish everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah a happy, prosperous, peaceful, and sweet start to the New Year!

Learn more about higher education in the United States. The EducationUSA Virtual Fair takes place September 19th--Representatives from 100 institutions, including USC will provide information about their programs, admissions requirements, and application process!

To our USC Chan Community and friends, Welcome back to school and congratulations on starting the Fall 2020 semester! As always, Global Initiatives remains committed to cultivating a strong community, building friendships, and becoming your home away from home. The doors to our "virtual office" are ALWAYS open for you. We can't wait to see what's in store for the fall semester and are excited to see students grow and learn together. Feel free to watch our video, which we hope can serve as a reminder of the community that we've built together! <3 #fighton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjRukTueoZY

Our warmest and proudest congratulations to 2019/2020 Global Initiatives OTD residents, Dr. James Lee and Dr. Mariah Morris for presenting their Leadership Presentations yesterday to culminate their doctoral education. Dr. Lee and Dr. Morris embody the very best of what Global Initiatives stands for - professionalism, perseverance, humility, generosity, and a fierce commitment to advocacy, justice, and inclusion for all, on a global scale Congratulations to James and Mariah! You represent the very best of us! James Lee Mariah Morris

Global Initiatives comes out strongly against the new Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) guidance regarding international student visa status and online courses. International students are a VITAL part of the richness of our community at USC and at the Chan Division, and we honor your dedication, talent, heart,, and contribution to our community here. You belong here, and we are richer for you being here. We stand beside you all in opposing this policy and will adv...ocate for its reversal. Fight On!

All of us at Global Initiatives just wanted to send a message of friendship to everyone, especially those who today are pained, exhausted, frightened, or enraged by the injustices we see around us, both locally (wherever you are) and around the world. Today, we specifically stand in solidarity with the Black and African American community here in the United States, and unequivocally state that BLACK LIVES MATTER. Though the road ahead is difficult and uncertain, we will con...tinue to work alongside you to move our societies towards justice and peace. What I want to see is not a rush to judgment, but a rush to justice. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2020) "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist." (Angela Davis)

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 from graduating this past Friday! Global Initiatives congratulates everyone on persevering throughout the last weeks of the semester and finishing strong from the #1 OT Program in the nation. We can't wait to be reunited soon and we look forward to seeing the impact you have to our global community! #FIGHTON #USCALUMNI #CLASSOF2020

Check out our post on the USC Chan News! #VirtualCommunity