CHRISTINA MARIE D. DIANO

Educational background:

Tertiary Education

Velez College - B.S. Occupational Therapy

F. Ramos St. Cebu City, Cebu

August 2019 - Present

Secondary Education

San Roque College de Cebu

Yati, Liloan Cebu

S.Y 2017 - 2019

St. Joseph’s Academy

Centro, Mandaue City

S.Y 2013 - 2016

Primary Education

St. Joseph’s Academy

Centro, Mandaue City

S.Y 2007 - 2013

Achievements

• College

Dean’s Lister

• Senior High School

Graduated with Honors

• Junior High School

Graduated with Honors

My experience as an OT student in Velez College:

The Velezian experience is no easy feat. It wasn’t the college experience I had in mind when we were daydreaming about the life we would be living in this institution. We had it fairly easy in the first year, until second year came and things were just not getting any easier from there. We’ve all had our fair share of breakdowns – emotional, mental. Now wrapping up our third year, I realized how we’re nearing the final year of OT, and how far we’ve come even when most often than not, we fixate on how much we’re still lacking to be the OTs we want to be. Perhaps among the things that keep me going is the thought of how fulfilling it would be to help people optimally participate in their everyday lives – from being able to do the work they want to do to engaging in the littlest, everyday things – the very mundane things they love to do.

In retrospect, even with the countless mistakes and shortcomings I’ve had in this process of learning. I realized that I have also grown. Even when there are times where situations beg to differ, I realize, even in the littlest way – I have become a better future OT. At least better than the version of myself that was when we had just started the semester. There are still so many things I lack and there’s still a long, long way ahead of me before I become who I want to be – the OT I want to be, much like the instructors we look up to, but somehow, right now, I’m hopeful we’ll get there. There are countless times in this journey where I have said to myself I could’ve done way better, but at this point, all I can say to put myself at ease is I did the best I could during those times. I’m definitely not exceptional nor outstanding, but I still continue to celebrate the fact that I’m right where I am – where I want to be.

My Component:

Being candid, we initially chose this component – if I correctly remember – because of its convenient reporting schedule. However, it was a coincidental choice as it is among the components that are important to address amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the current setting of E-Hope parents.

Planning CBH&R Programs:

As we were tasked to send three proposals for each component, we divided our group into 3 where we proposed different topics to tackle on livelihood. We spearheaded the Tote Bag Making proposal which was the one selected to be implemented.

It was actually fun to do even when it was something crammed and was only planned to be a filler proposal. What made it all the more fun was working with it with a close friend, reminding me of how nice our dynamics are. Working on it was so smooth that it seemed effortless and intuitive.

Designing CBH&R Programs:

As we spearheaded the Tote Bag Making proposal, it was only natural for us to work on the work plan. Among the roles I had was to work on the work plan, which had to entail a specific timeline of the planning and execution of the plan we had for our program. It was an intricate process which I initially thought was unnecessarily time-consuming, but as we were finishing it up, I realized that it’s also important that we provide a feasible work plan.

Implementing CBH&R Programs:

Since I was tasked under the program committee, it allowed me to do the implementation of the program in the face-to-face setting. Among the many things we’ve done for planning and implementation, the highlight for me was the actual implementation at E-Hope, along with my classmates where we physically and directly interacted with the parents, kids, and staff. It was a heartwarming experience to see them participate in the activity, and have them openly share their thoughts on the activity – even with life in general. It also served as a reality-check on where I am on my skills as an OT student, especially in facilitating and guiding the participants in the program.

As expected, when the study load displayed 27 units worth of subjects, it was only natural for this semester to be the most hectic. Neuro rehab was already very taxing at 21 units, how much more for physdys when it’s 6 units more? This has been the most exhausting and challenging semester so far, and at this point, I’ve been trying to avoid reflecting about it because I just want it to be over already – my mind has been long over this semester the week before finals. This semester has been a constant reminder of how much I’m still lacking in so many ways, and how much I have to review to fully grasp things. Nonetheless, surviving this semester alone has made me mentally stronger. If it were the 2nd year me right now, I would have spent many days breaking down on how hectic and taxing things are. Most importantly, this semester has taught me how to take things one at a time. There’s no point in overthinking things that’ll happen the day after when there’s still now we have to think about.

Occupational therapy in community-based rehab is among the emerging practices in OT, which makes its resources limited. CBR also requires intensive individualizing of interventions to ensure that programs are well-fitted to a community, considering that every community has its own prevailing culture and traits. Which is why it’s also as important to develop plans that are feasible and precise, where a community’s concerns and issues are appropriately and sustainably addressed. From the experience we’ve had with community-based rehabilitation, I learned that it’s important to always focus on accurately identifying prevailing issues in a community to know which programs and activities to develop from the get-go. I also learned that planning and developing a program is a very tedious process, which requires clear and thorough communication between members. Ultimately, I learned that it’s equally as important to ensure that the planned programs and activities are correctly carried out, in a way that we get back to effectively addressing the key goals of the program. When we carried out the program, fondly entitled It’s the Tote that Counts, it was a great opportunity for us to connect with a community – especially one that may need assistance and guidance in livelihood. Even with a short-lived session, we get to see parents, children, and staff enthusiastically learn from the activity. It was also an opportunity that reflected our still-developing skills as future occupational therapists. As we wrap up this program, we will also take such fond memories with us – one we definitely learned from as we go along the process of learning.