American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

April 22 - 26, 2026

About the Experience

The AOTA Annual Conference & Expo brings together a national community of Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, students, educators, and practitioners who come to share ideas and explore emerging trends in the profession of occupational therapy. This is an exciting year as [SLCC's OTA Program has] been invited to present our project, “Learning to Listen to Each Other: An Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant Students.”

A group of six Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students were able to participate in this conference by presenting research done in collaboration with students and faculty from SLCC and the University of Utah. This experience provided students with a meaningful opportunity to engage in and share critical research allowing them to actively contribute to the occupation therapy profession. During this time, the students also benefited from developing confidence, communication skills, and a stronger sense of belonging within occupational therapy. Presenting at a national conference reinforces students’ identity as emerging professionals, which supports persistence in the program and long-term retention in the field. They also learned about required standards from our accrediting body, ACOTE (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education).

Overall, participation in the AOTA Annual Conference aligns strongly with SLCC’s strategic goals by engaging students in authentic, high-impact learning that promotes academic success, professional development, collaboration, and long-term retention within the occupational therapy field.

- Mary Pugh, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

Student Reflections

Rebecca Allen

"... I had the opportunity to attend multiple classes I was interested in and just grow my knowledge even more. The expo was also so cool and such a great way to network with people and learn so much more about different occupational therapy settings. The highlight of the trip for me was attending the keynote speaker. I got very emotionally hearing about this specific experience after getting into a vehicle motor accident and how occupational therapy impacted his life. Afterwards, his COTA at the time was reunited with him. It was so special to see and hear about his story."

Krysta Heidt

"This experience means a great deal to me, both personally and professionally. Having the opportunity to serve as a student delegate in the OTA program at SLCC and represent our SOTA club at the AOTA conference was exciting and I took pride in the responsibility. It felt incredibly meaningful to be surrounded by so many like-minded professionals who are all passionate about occupational therapy and the impact it can have on others. The word I kept coming back to when describing the experience was “invigorating.” It reminded me of my “why” and reignited my passion for this field at a time when I needed it most. Moving through such a demanding program, becoming overwhelmed is all too easy, but this experience gave me a renewed sense of motivation, confidence, and excitement to continue forward and finish the second semester strong."

Natalie Debelina

"...This entire semester, I have been feeling such imposter syndrome. I feel it in fieldwork and when I’m talking with anyone about OT. But this trip has given me an opportunity to test my own misconceptions. I was able to network, interact, learn, and educate peers and future coworkers from all over the nation. I held my own the entire time and was able to fully converse about the beauty of OT with so many people. I felt like I was able to take a step into my professional side, and that is something I am always grateful for as a student. This was possible because of the trip that I took with the SOTA club. This trip has far surpassed any field trip I have taken or any class I have taken part in. It took every aspect and bottled it into a three-day package. I am so grateful for the excitement this experience instilled in me. I am so appreciative for the opportunity to go and learn all that I did."

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