Lindsey Parenteau-Oshel, Class of 2011, Jacksonville, Florida Updated Story

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? Since I last shared my story, I graduated with my Masters in Occupational Therapy and moved to North Florida to live with my husband as he pursues his career. A job offer came up for an OT in the school system, and I could not resist. I currently work as a school based OT specifically with kids in elementary schools. A typical day for me in the school generally goes with seeing students with ALL types of disabilities either for individual time or in a small group to work on different goals that help them to be successful and as functional as possible in class and throughout the school day. Typical goals we usually address focus on helping with handwriting skills, cutting skills, transitions between classrooms, attention during seated classwork, and self care tasks like dressing or opening containers during lunch. Often times, my job involves providing teachers various adaptations to skills such as writing with different pencils or grips, using adapted paper with lines and colors, providing assistive technology like ipads or eye gaze devices to assist with reading/writing or providing resources on sensory strategies to allow students to have movement breaks and increase attention. All in all, I love every aspect of my job especially getting to use fun crafts and games to allow my students to be as successful as possible.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? Last time I shared, I was just getting started in the OT field while in graduate school. I truly did not even know what it meant to be a therapist because my only experience was through book learning and teacher lectures. Since then, I've become a licensed "OT" in Florida and have gained so much experience out in the field learning more than ever being hands on. Initially, I started work at a Skilled Nursing Facility helping various patients that have had injuries/illnesses such as strokes, dementia, knee replacements, etc. gain independence back to their daily lives. The work was fast paced and typically you would only work with a patient for a few weeks and they would go home. This job was not the route I had envisioned for my career and sought out to find my true passion, working with kids.

What are your goals now? Have they changed? My goals and to try to get through this first school year as successful as possible and hope that I did a good enough job to be picked up for more school years to come. My goals have definitely changed as I see the realistic side of actual work and adulthood living on my own with my husband far away from Nashville. I still think some day it would be amazing to have my own clinic for kids to come and receive therapy, and maybe 30-40 years from now, become a professor to teach the next generation of therapist. But for right now, I'm keeping my goals to being the best I can be right now for the students I current have everyday.

Lindsey Parenteau, 2011, Nashville, TN September 20 2016

What are you up to? I am currently enrolled in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at Tennessee State University. I was 1 out of 30 students chosen from a pool of 500 applicants for the program, so I am still in shock and very thankful. What is occupational therapy, you ask? Well, it can help you get back into your work or job, but it can also be much more than that. Occupational therapy is the therapeutic use of everyday activities or occupations that are meaningful to the patient to promote independence in function. The profession works with all age groups and many different types of disabilities, both physical and mental.

How'd you get here? I have always loved art and music but I also knew I wanted to use my time helping others and making an impact in their lives, specifically children. As I was choosing my future profession, I tried my best to pick something that incorporated both of those aspects I enjoyed. Luckily, OT focuses on using crafts and participation as a type of therapy, so I knew it was the perfect route to go for me. I graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Science. OT is a very competitive field so I had to work hard to keep up a high GPA so that I could be accepted into a graduate program.

What are your goals? My number one goal is to get through the program so I can get started with my career. Once I get my Masters of Occupational Therapy, my dream is to become a traveling OT and pick up contracts around the around the globe. I couldn't pass up such an amazing career opportunity that allows me to travel and get paid at the same time.

Advice for WHS Students? If you have a dream or goal that seems unreachable or unrealistic, don't give up on it. Make it achievable.  I went a direction that allowed me to incorporate art and creativity in a purposeful way. I still get to do what I love everyday, but I choose a path that allowed me to grow and have a stable career that I truly enjoy.

If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? I would go to London, England in a heartbeat!