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Vanessa Duran

5,125

Bold Points

2x

Nominee

4x

Finalist

1x

Winner

Bio

I am a first-generation student. I am a Chicana. I wouldn't be where I am without my family. From a young age, my family members encouraged me to further my education. I began my studies as a doctorate occupational therapy student in May 2021. In undergrad, I studied neuroscience and public health at Earlham College. I am beyond blessed to have come this far in my educational and professional career. I wouldn't be where I am today without my family and community. My undergraduate education was transformational. I found many community resources during this period that allowed me to flourish. I found my interest in occupational therapy through Earlham's Externship program that partnered with local health professions and provided students with transportation services to shadow different professions. The curriculum within neuroscience and public health intersected with my shadowing experiences. Reflecting on the strong sense of community that drove my pursuits in occupational therapy and future goals always seems to lead me back to giving back to my community. I hope to find a balance and begin mentoring BIPOC pre-health students. I believe that the demographics of healthcare professionals should be reflective of the communities we serve. I hope to get involved in advocacy efforts within occupational justice as well.

Education

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
2021 - 2023
  • Majors:
    • Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other

Earlham College

Bachelor's degree program
2016 - 2020
  • Majors:
    • Neuroscience
  • Minors:
    • Public Health, General

Mission Vista High

High School
2012 - 2016

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Medicine
    • Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
    • Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
  • Planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medical Practice

    • Dream career goals:

      Occupational Therapist

    • Aide

      All Star Physical Therapy
      2020 – 20211 year
    • Center for Global Health Peer Mentor

      Earlham College
      2020 – 2020
    • Peer Career Coach

      Earlham College
      2018 – 20191 year
    • Peer Mentor

      Earlham College
      2017 – 20181 year
    • Youth Assistant

      Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists
      2016 – 2016
    • Package Handler

      Fedex Ground
      2017 – 2017
    • Assistant Cabin Head

      Bradford Woods
      2019 – 2019

    Sports

    Dancing

    Intramural
    2022 – Present2 years

    roller skating

    Intramural
    2022 – Present2 years

    Boxing

    Intramural
    2021 – Present3 years

    Soccer

    Intramural
    2018 – 20191 year

    Volleyball

    Varsity
    2016 – 20182 years

    Awards

    • All-HCAC Sportsmanship Team

    Research

    • Public Health, General

      Roudebush VA Medical Center — Research Intern
      2018 – 2018
    • Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics

      Earlham College — Research Assistant
      2019 – 2019
    • Public Health, General

      IUPUI Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health — Research Intern
      2020 – 2020
    • Psychology, General

      Earlham College — Undergraduate Researcher
      2020 – 2020

    Arts

    • Cabaret Club

      Performance Art
      2018 – 2018
    • Dance Alloy

      Dance
      2018 – 2018
    • Hand Drum at Earlham College

      Performance Art
      2017 – 2020

    Public services

    • Advocacy

      Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity - USAHS San Marcos Chapter — Secretary
      2021 – Present
    • Volunteering

      Waves4All — Beach volunteer
      2021 – 2021
    • Volunteering

      Boys and Girls Club — Assistant Volleyball Coach
      2021 – 2021
    • Volunteering

      Speaking for Ourselves Conference - Earlham College — Volunteer
      2019 – 2019
    • Volunteering

      Community Blood Drive — Volunteer
      2020 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      Little Red Door Cancer Agency — Volunteer
      2020 – 2020

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Politics

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    Christina Taylese Singh Memorial Scholarship
    I am an aspiring occupational therapist. I am currently in my last year of my doctorate program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. I'm also a first-generation student in my family. My family is the reason why I've pursued occupational therapy. I knew from my shadowing experiences in a variety of settings that the field of occupational therapy would be for me. I would be a competitive candidate for the scholarship, as I know my purpose lies within the OT field. I have a sense of purpose in working with anyone across the lifespan, but I have found an affinity towards older adults and dying individuals. I never thought that my professional interests would align within palliative and hospice care until I was personally introduced to it. During the second term of my OTD journey, my dad was in a catatonic state due to steroid-induced psychosis and spoke to his medical team concerning his advance care plans. I remember the exact day. September 25, 2021 when my dad chose to complete a DNR and within a week, he was home with hospice care services. I saw my dad's health rapidly decline. But I also so how the knowledge I was learning from my OT courses was helping me as a caregiver and supporting my dad, mom, and extended family while supporting my dad's wishes. At the time, I was filled with anticipatory grief and the messy feelings of anger, frustration, and fear seeing how the privilege of my education was impactful. I wished that it didn't have to be compounded knowing that my dad was dying. As I'm coming up on my dad's second death anniversary, I'm learning that the toughest year of my life exposed me to what the truest form of love is. Grief is the deepest and perhaps strongest expression of love. Hindsight brought me seeing the accomplishments that I achieved during my time of survival. I am currently maintaining a 3.9 GPA and was inducted into the Pi Theta Epsilon Delta Kappa Chapter, the honor society for occupational therapy students. It’s going to hurt terribly not seeing my dad in the crowd as I walk during commencement, but I now know that I am his living legacy. The field I am pursuing was part of his medical care team. It motivates me daily, knowing that I will be in a profession that can immediately bring change to someone’s life. As an aspirating occupational therapist, I know I will be more sensitive to various forms of grief and loss in my practice, and I hope that will show that I genuinely care about them through their healing journey. As a first-generation Mexican-American, I am looking forward to ensuring that I advocate for my future clients and their families. My why for pursuing occupational therapy is that there need to be more people of color who empathize with their patient's experiences, advocate for their care, and empower them during their healing process. I saw that I could bring my whole self, with my cultural background and my personal experience of grief and loss, into the occupational therapy profession that focuses on understanding and empowering individuals and populations to participate in their meaningful occupations.
    First-Gen in Health & Medicine Scholarship
    I’m the first generation in my family to be born here in the United States and to go to college. I left my home in SoCal to study neuroscience and public health at Earlham College in Indi with my family's support. I shadowed speech, physical and occupational therapists in inpatient and outpatient settings, interned at a chiropractic clinic, and interned at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center on a public health research study. Additionally, I worked alongside pediatric doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical students, and recreational therapists at Bradford Woods’ Camp Riley, a summer recreational therapy camp for those with disabilities. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career to integrate research into practice to improve a person’s quality of life. Occupational therapy took all my attention because of their holistic approach to meeting the patient and encouraging them to keep engaging in meaningful occupations. I knew occupational therapy was my career after shadowing in an acute rehabilitation unit at the local hospital near my college. The majority of patients I saw in ARU were recovering from a stroke and were receiving therapy to transition from life in the hospital to living at home. They provided meaningful occupations for the patient to participate in that would remind them of their everyday activities. A year later, while speaking to an occupational therapist at the VA Medical Center, I learned that occupational therapy was associated with lower readmission rates (Rogers, 2016). It meant that patients that received occupational therapy in a hospital setting were less likely to be readmitted. This furthered my excitement to pursue occupational therapy. It's a career centered around advocacy. I am currently working as an aide at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. I am learning what it means to accompany a patient through their healing process. I am observant, and that has led me into conversations learning about the patients I interact with. I learn of their home and family life outside of activities they are limited due to their injury. I hope that I enter the clinic each day and empower the individuals I cross paths with. The healing process can be difficult, and I’ve come to learn that by working with patients that developed complications due to their surgery. I want to enter this healing space with grace but enough strength to encourage patients to continue engaging in meaningful activities and enjoy their life. I am excited to share that I will begin my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy studies at the University of St. Augustine this May ('21). I hold a deep value for research and hope to participate in future research initiatives. Currently, I am unsure about what research topic I would pursue. But I am familiar with the research development process. I had completed a study on social exclusion’s effect on compassion at Earlham College. My data did not yield significant results due to COVID restrictions and a small sampling. Still, it truly humbled me to learn of the various effects a social stressor could have on our ability to empathize with others. As a first-generation student, pursuing academia, let alone a healthcare profession, has been daunting. I am community made and want to give back in a mentorship way as a profession. I sought mentorship as I applied to occupational therapy programs with a Latina post-professional doctorate occupational therapy student and am grateful that others find meaning in empowering their community. Rogers, A. T., Bai, G., Lavin, R. A., & Anderson, G. F. (2016, September 2). Higher hospital spending on occupational therapy is associated with lower readmission rates. Medical Care Research and Review, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558716666981