LAARNIE ROSE V. AMPO

Ecational background:

Tertiary Education

Velez College - B.S. Occupational Therapy

F. Ramos St. Cebu City, Cebu

August 2019 - Present

Secondary Education

University of San Carlos - Talamban Campus

Sitio Nasipit, Talamban, Cebu City

S.Y 2017 - 2019

Visayas State University-Laboratory High School (VSU-LHS)

S.Y 2013 - 2016

Primary Education

Hilongos South Central School

S.Y 2007 - 2013

Achievements:

• College

Dean’s Lister: first year, first semester

• Senior High School

Graduated with honors

• Junior High School

Honor student from grade 7-10

Student Body Organization Senator

Comelec Chairwoman

Citizenship Advancement Training (CAT) Bravo-Company Commander

• Elementary

3rd Honorable mention

Supreme Pupil Government Senator

Editorial Cartoonist: division level

My experience as an OT student in Velez College:

Entering Velez, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I had no thorough idea what occupational therapy is and what else this program offers for me and as a future career. I heard how extensive the journey of learning in the medical field was but I had no idea nor a gameplan what it would be like for my case. All I knew was I passed the entrance exam of a known prestigious school for medical courses and I just pursued what I felt was right, of what my gut instincts told me that time. During my freshman year, I felt so lost. Most of my subjects were minor and only had one major subject–an intro to OT, which seemed so boring for me. I couldn’t see the relevance of occupational therapy as a degree or a profession itself. I lost track. I was constantly questioning how an indolent person would be so curious about occupations. I didn’t see myself pursuing such a kind of passion, and not a thing motivated me anymore. I can remember myself indulging in drinking parties every weekend even on weekdays– not minding my chunky thick readings. I did not study. I kept on failing in exams, and the worse thing was I didn’t mind it at all. I didn’t see any shyness in me even if it meant standing throughout the duration of the class because I wasn’t able to answer our oral recitation. Many times I kept faking my journal entries with plausible things just because it was a requirement to do so. I didn’t have much motivation but, yes, I persisted solely because I had no other choice. Freshman year was such a blur, furthermore with the unprecedented transitions to virtual classes. Online class was the worst. I had to be technical enough just so I could cope with the paperless requirements– from working on word documents, pdf files, power points to editing infographics, posters, photos, and merging video clips all at once. I had to muster the guts and initiatives in pleasing mock clients and finding alternative materials at home for demo videos and online practical exams. I had to juggle home and academic responsibilities at the same time. I learned how to manage my own time. Sophomore and junior years came with the same sentiments and circumstances. I have come way too far. However, this time, I learned to be patient with myself and to persevere with a goal. Above all else, nothing was more fulfilling when I found my purpose along the process. Occupational therapy was indeed for me. And when I say OT is for me, it means: getting enough sleep and passing long exams at the same time; rushing to start teletherapy because a bipolar client keeps mentioning my name; achieving perfect scores during practical exams and passing oral revalidas by merely studying 4-5 conditions out of 10-12; being the therapist to myself; getting tired but always preservers; and the most important was I found fulfillment in every client interaction I had– whether online or physical. From then on, I learned to live by the quote of Rachel Thibeault: “I’m an occupational therapist, an obscure profession if there ever was one. We are few and far between, maybe because we have chosen to serve people with disabilities. All disabilities. Not a glamorous endeavor nor a lucrative one. And I say serve because we deem that in helping we see weakness, while in serving we see wholeness. We’ve opted for wholeness nearly a century ago and have been at odds with the system ever since. We don’t fix people, you see: with them, we simply try to find a way to meaning, balance, and justice. I chose occupational therapy because it blends science and humanism, intellectual rigor and compassion”.

Initially, I was assigned to the mental health and humanitarian crises component in our community-based rehabilitation. This technically pertains to the management of mental health issues and accessibility to health services, rights and benefits of a community. The Everlasting Hope Center Cebu was the chosen community for our CBR programs. So we expected that the population would consist mostly of children and parents as well as the staff of the center. It was our group also who proposed such a community to the class so it kind of added an excitement to my part with regards to working with them.

As one of the members of that group, we were tasked to make the letter and communicate with the organization. Prior to the planning of our CBR programs, we initially had an evaluation which included data gathering, community mapping, surveys and planning and implementation of the stakeholder’s analysis. We sent a letter to the recipient after it was approved and the staff there was so responsive that we immediately had a meeting with them the next day to clarify things and dates. Technically, the proposed CBR activities were much clearer for them, and we agreed on a prospective date for the stakeholders meeting. Prior to the meeting, I was assigned as one of the persons to structure the interview regarding the mental health and humanitarian crises. I was the one structuring and translating most of the questions from English to Visayan. However, the stakeholder’s meeting itself was kind of an awful experience for me as our instructors weren't even satisfied. They were disappointed by our performance as a class so we really had to make sure to redeem ourselves the next time around. Fortunately, we were given another time to implement another stakeholder’s meeting which clarifies everything and leads us to the next step of designing the CBR programs.

We had another set of proposals regarding different programs of CBR components. Since there was no program approved for the mental health and humanitarian component, we were merged with another group to facilitate our livelihood program. I was tasked to complete the budgeting part which was more or less not realized due to some changes in designing the tote bags. I was actually messaging different online stores as I canvassed prices from one another. That was a nice experience too. During the implementation of the CBR program, I was mostly online not until the livelihood program was implemented. Since I was in Cebu, I volunteered to join the parents and kids in the center during our program. My experience interacting with them physically was another story too. I had a fun and bittersweet experience. It honestly pains me to know that as young as they are, they are already aware about platelet counts and just considering their situations. I also saw how the kids seized those moments despite having chronic conditions. I saw how they make the most of simple situations. I saw how they mingle, respect and care for one another. It was such a heart-warming and humbling experience being shared with them. I think I learned more than they learned livelihood techniques and opportunities from us. And those will forever be remembered.

Following the CBR matrix, the fully-integrated programs offer holistic services that cover health, education, social participation, and livelihood aspects not just for people with disabilities but as well as the whole community. Most of the activities are usually done inside the centers or even the barangay's gym but home care services are also provided for the patients. In this setting, OT’s role in the engagement and coalition focused on the development of the entire community rather than individually so we really have to coordinate with pertinent individuals. During our freshman year, I was also able to observe how CBR programs were implemented in a physical setting. Now I can say that implementing CBR online is far way too different from being able to engage and interact with the clients in a real setting. Although we aim to offer various CBR programs for the improvement and development of the whole community, it is also hard to achieve the desired goals of the majority without the individual's involvement and contribution. I see that it needs constant encouragement for people to participate as well as convince them of the benefits of rehabilitation. On the other hand, as OTs, we should also constantly assess and evaluate what programs are applicable to the community, which would actually catch their interests and benefit them both short-term or long-term. I do hope that all those programs we established in E-Hope would have a long lasting influence and benefits to them. The children, as well as the parents, deserve so much more than what we could offer in a little span of time. I hope that they learned something from us as much as I have learned so much from them. Now I can say that; moving out and investing resources for a few sessions of face to face classes is worth it. I made the right choice of staying here in Cebu and volunteering in E-Hope. Everything was worthwhile at the end of the day. Given that little time, my experience was not just academically productive but also personally enriching.