Isabelle Pisano

Isabelle Pisano  is a second year student in the Occupational Therapy program at Dominican University. She plans to graduate with a masters in OT as well as a double minor in psychology and community action and social change. She has been traveling extensively throughout the states and around the world since she was young which has fueled her drive to learn and grow from experience. She has ample leadership involvement dating back to her time at Windsor High, including senior class vice president and sitting on multiple boards of education and city council. This experience has led her to take on leadership roles during her time at Dominican including the ASDU Senate Board, a lead role for a college prep program at Next Generation Scholars, and becoming an EDJE fellow. She describes herself as outgoing, open minded, and an advocate.

What inspired/motivated you to become a CASC Minor?

I came to Dominican to pursue healthcare in the form of Occupational Therapy, what I didn’t know is this institution would teach me so much more than that. Through a combination of the specific courses I was taking as well as the world's current condition and circumstances I have learned the valuable tools of critical consciousness and advocacy. I have come to understand much more about the racial, economic, and gender inequality that plagues our country and found a sense of civic responsibility to do my part in rectifying these injustices. I found great interest in learning about these issues in an academic setting and so I decided to earn a minor in community action and social change.

If you were a policy maker what is a change or policy you would make?

If I were a policy maker there are endless changes I would make, but I believe I would start where most wouldn’t. While I believe it necessary to make major police reform, prison reform, and education reform, I would initially begin with economic reform. I believe if we could break down the institutional system that traps many people, the mass of who are in our marginalized communities, in poverty and without basic necessities such as food security, housing, and healthcare, we could in turn break many of the other structures that oppress the poor and communities of color.

How do you want to put the skills you learn at Dominican University to use after college?

First, and foremost, I aim to make myself a competent occupational therapist which includes being capable of acknowledging and hence controlling my own subconscious biases as I enter the healthcare field. Everyone has prejudice, whether it’s conscious or not, but there are many people who do not check their prejudice beliefs and in turn this makes the healthcare system extremely prejudiced against marginalized communities. Healthcare should be held to the utmost standard of acceptance and equality for all and it currently is the contrary: an unsafe and dreadful experience for most people of color. Everyone is deserving of exceptional healthcare, so I need to be prepared to make that happen.

What has been an important class in the major for you so far and why?

My philosophy class, virtuosity, and my religion class, liberation theology were majorly important because they truly were the beginning of my journey of expanding my learning. Virtuosity was the first class I took that helped me develop my critical thinking skills and liberation theology taught me about history I had already learned from a completely different point of view that is sheltered from sight in the common public education system.

What personal experiences set you apart?

I have traveled all over the world which I truly believe has given me a special kind of appreciation and perspective of the world and the people in it. I have developed a passion for that feeling of discomfort when you’re in a new place or position. This has given me the capability to try new things and take a lot of chances, many of which have led me to great things.

Describe an impactful moment from working with your community partner.

My first semester working with Next Generation Scholars (NGS), I was working in their tutoring program. This one particular student who I worked with in math, really drew me into this program because of his story that was unique to me, but was most likely the situation for many. He told me about his commute from his house in Richmond to his high school in Berkley, then to NGS in San Rafael, and then back to his house. He did this commute every day just to be able to go to what he explained was a “good school” and to NGS, an after school program. The lengths the students went to receive adequate support and resources are extreme, and unfortunately this is the case for many youth.