Originally published on November 11, 2024.
As a Las Vegas, Nevada, native, Cassie graduated from Faith Lutheran Senior High School in 2018 and dove headfirst into college, gaining her degree in exercise sciences. Cassie is now working as a school-based occupational therapist, a job focusing on the health care of those with physical, sensory, or cognitive problems.
“I first learned about occupational therapy from my mom, who is also an OT," she says. "I love the creativity and outside-the-box thinking that's required in OT, focusing on the person and incorporating doing what they love as a means of therapy."
During Cassie's time at Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ, she took a research design class that impacted her more than she ever would have thought. Having a background in research from Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ helped Cassie in her doctoral program, and she learned to love the art of research. Cassie is now preparing a research draft to be published in the near future.
Cassie chose Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ due to both the beautiful campus and surrounding area, as well as the small class sizes, and she was amazed that professors she rarely interacted with knew her name. "I first toured Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ while attending the Utah Shakespeare Festival and quickly felt it was a perfect match. I couldn't have been more right," she says.
Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ and Rural Health Scholars—a program focused on improving access and quality of healthcare in rural Utah—offer students opportunities to learn about and shadow professionals in their fields, something Cassie gladly took advantage of. Through these shadowing experiences, Cassie was led to her first job, working with Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Early Intervention. This job had a profound impact on Cassie’s studies as an OT and paved the way for her future in pediatrics.
“I also learned what it means to have good friendships; I learned independence, and I even learned the future direction of my practice," she says regarding her time at Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ. "These are all things that I still take with me to this day, and while it's been refined over the years, Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ was the instigator for me learning these things about myself."
After graduating from Â鶹¹û¶³ÊÓƵ in 2021, Cassie attended Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada, earning her a doctorate in occupational therapy, having just graduated this past July. Cassie now works as a school-based OT, working with kids on school and self-help goals, completing evaluations, and working with a team to help these goals be reached. "The most rewarding part is always seeing progress and seeing the kids achieve their full potential!" she says.
Cassie met her husband Evan at the School of Rock (yes, it's a real place, not just a movie!) and has been rocking it ever since. Cassie now lives in Layton, Utah, and is excited to be able to connect with universities to speak and inspire students considering OT as a profession.
