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Tiana Vazquez-Ford '24 G'25 MOT
Within each of our Bay Path community members is an inspirational story of perseverance and strength, and we are honored to share them. This narrative originally appeared on social media as part of Bay Path's #MyPath.
"I've always loved movement! I grew up dancing and was in a dance education program in high school. We went to multiple elementary schools and choreographed dances around what they were learning. I did that for a while, and then I became a teacher's assistant, and it showed me that I wanted a leadership role working with children. I tried to mold together pediatrics, awareness of the body and working with movement. Bay Path's Pre-Occupational Therapy program was the perfect fit for my goals.
"I'm a first-generation college student. The online application process was quite easy, and I received a few scholarships, which helped. In other colleges, you could be an OT assistant and then go back. I liked how Bay Path formulated its accelerated program so I could go all the way and receive my Bachelor's in four years and my master's in my fifth year.
"I like the electives I have taken so far. The courses I do in person are labs, anatomy, and physiology. They are hard, but I've come to love them. And I can always reach out to my professors, who really want to help us succeed. Even though I'm commuting, I found other pre-occupational therapy students taking the same classes as me so that we could work together.
"Bay Path recently opened a commuter lounge, and I've met other commuters and had a couple of study sessions. I love the campus. It's a close-knit, small community. It is easy to navigate, and the intimate classroom settings are really helpful.
"I joined Bay Path in the fall of 2020. Before that, in 2019, my high school dance program was featured in a documentary called ‘Dance Education Laboratory.’ They followed us around, and it was really an amazing experience. In September of 2022, I went to New York for its premiere, and I talked on the panel about what I'm doing now in OT at Bay Path and how I'm connecting to this program.
"When I graduate, I hope to work with children. I'm still figuring out where I would want to work, but I'm happy that no matter where I go, occupational therapists can work anywhere." - Tiana Vazquez-Ford '24 G'25 MOT #MyPath
See if our Pre-OT program is the right fit for you: http://bit.ly/3VXx0sR