Maria Stories

Rose Napoli, OTA Student

“In one of my OTA classes we were challenged to complete a personal goal by the end of the semester. Other classmates added goals like eating healthier, spending more time with their family, finding more effective studying strategies, or becoming more active. As my goal, I wrote that I wanted to get my driver’s license, which was a struggle for me because of visual deficits. My instructor knew about my vision problems because I have accommodations and was very encouraging of me, and told me not to give up on my goal.

When I achieved my goal and got my driver’s license I received encouraging comments from my instructor, as well as my classmates. The encouragement made me feel so proud of myself for doing something that is extremely difficult to me, but relatively easy for others. That teacher inspired me to do my best as a student, and encouraged me to go into a mental health setting for Occupational Therapy after I graduate.”

-Rose Napoli