Oviya's Blog

OTD Giving Day

On March 4th, 2025, WOU OTD program celebrated their first annual Giving Day! Our class came together to give back to the community in a meaningful and hands-on way. We had the opportunity to participate in the cleanup and care of the beautiful Mill Race Beautification park, located in front of our campus.

What started as a mission to collect trash quickly turned into an important task of removing invasive blackberry bushes. These plants, though seemingly harmless, have a tendency to spread and become harder to manage over time. As their thorny branches grew stronger, getting rid of them proved to be quite a challenge! Fortunately, the city provided us with the tools and equipment necessary to tackle this challenge. As we worked our way through the park, we felt proud knowing we were helping prevent these invasive species from taking over the park's natural beauty.

While we were there, we were pleasantly surprised to see a group of ducks swimming in the nearby water—a heartwarming sight. It was a gentle reminder of the peacefulness and natural wonders we were preserving with our efforts.

We spent just an hour working, but in that time, we made a noticeable difference. We could see the park slowly starting to look more pristine as we removed the invasive plants. It wasn’t just the physical cleanup that was rewarding but also the sense of teamwork that brought us all closer together. Classmates, along with professors, worked together, shared tips on how to best handle the plants, and offered support to one another. 

Throughout the cleanup, we had people walking by who stopped to ask us what we were doing. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our dedication to the community and explain how our class, as future occupational therapists, values contributing to the well-being of our surroundings. We may have only spent a short time at the park, but the impact of our work was both visible and heartfelt.

This experience truly reminded us of the power of working together for a common goal and the small but significant ways we can improve our communities. It's days like these that make the work we do so meaningful, not just in the classroom but in the real world!

Gresham Lilac Run 

On April 26, 2025, a few of my classmates and I participated in the 7th annual Gresham Lilac Run. Most of us ran the 5K, while one classmate took on the half marathon. The event supported a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting educational equity and outdoor activities for youth in the Latinx community.

Earlier in the year, we completed a project called the Community Profile, where my group focused on first-generation Latinx teenagers in Oregon. That experience taught me how much advocacy and collaboration are needed to support their lifestyles and meaningful occupations. Participating in this run felt like a way to put what we learned into action.

Although I’ve played sports all my life, long-distance running was new to me. I hadn’t realized how much of a mental challenge it would be until I started the race. But seeing nearly 400 people come together to support a shared cause was incredibly heartwarming. It felt like a true accomplishment when we all crossed the finish line.

This wasn’t just a bonding experience among classmates, it was also an opportunity for us, as occupational therapy students, to support an underserved community and embody the values of our profession.