Other Educational Opportunities

The goals of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) are to promote:

• The development of leadership and cooperation among student occupational therapists
• The profession of occupational therapy through public relations, education and social events

Meetings are held monthly and events are held periodically, approximately one event per semester. Students involved pay annual dues of $10.00.

To learn more, contact Malachy Clancy, PhD, OTR/L   

The Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) is a subdivision of the Assembly of Student Delegates, a component of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). OT students work under the direction of a faculty advisor to engage in volunteerism and advocacy projects for the program, community, and the profession as follows:

• Supporting and facilitating student success
• Increasing the awareness of and appreciation for the profession in the community
• Providing a university forum for the exchange of ideas related to occupational therapy
• Raising funds for participation in national and state-level professional association activities, such as conferences
• Supporting national issues by sending a student delegate to the annual AOTA conference

Undergraduate BS/MS students may join the undergraduate student OT club. As members, they participate in volunteer experiences, become connected to the OT profession, and benefit from a range of leadership opportunities. Most recently, students volunteered for the following projects: Special Olympics, Philly Spin-In at CHOP, and Autism Speaks Walk.

To learn more, contact Christyn Mitchell, MS, MEd, OTR/L  

Students in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program are able to participate in the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) founded on the following goals:

• To increase awareness and appreciation of the profession of occupational therapy in the community.
• To provide a University forum for the exchange of ideas related to occupational therapy.
• To raise funds for participation in national and state level professional association activities such as conferences

SOTA is governed by elected students from each OTA cohort and guided by a faculty member acting as advisor.  Activities include exhibits, demonstrations of occupational therapy to the public, guest presentations, visits to institutions, social events, food drives, and other service to support the surrounding communities. Membership is open to all enrolled occupational therapy assistant students. Students who are interested in taking a leadership role within the SOTA can self-nominate to run for an elected position. Additionally, there are opportunities to serve on the Assembly of Student Delegates (ASD) through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).  

To learn more, contact Sara Loesche, MS, OTR/L, CHT, CEAS