Karli Monceaux

I aspire to become an Occupational Therapist and specialize in ECI. I have two cousins with special needs. Justin is twenty and has Down Syndrome. Matthew is nineteen and was diagnosed with Autism at the age of three. They are both brothers and more like my siblings than first cousins. I have grown up watching them benefit from the therapy they have received through several therapists, not just OT's. Matthew is a freshman at LIT pursuing an associates degree in computer science. He has had his own license to drive since he was 16 and drives himself wherever he needs to be. Most people said he would never even be able to graduate, but because of people like whom I aspire to become, he has turned about to be a very successful young man. Justin can read a 400 word vocabulary, write his demographic information, and is currently going to a program that teaches him to clean offices and other job skills. He is in training to apply for jobs so that he can contribute his talents to the world just as everyone else does. Without the therapists that helped Justin along the way, he would not be as independent as he is today. Justin and Matthew are the reason I want to help others with disabilities. I can not wait to make a difference and impact someone's family, the way several therapists have impacted not only Justin and Matthew's lives, but mine as well.

Occupational Therapy is a field that requires a masters degree and is not offered at Lamar. Therefore, I hope to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout my undergraduate degree in order to assure my acceptance into a school that has a good OT program. UTMB is my ideal school of choice. However, I will gladly go anywhere that accepts me. 150 observation hours with several different OT's is required as well as several volunteer hours to apply into OT school. I have already begun working on both of those while working 40 hours a week as an Assistant Service Manager at H-E-B and attending school full time. I truly enjoy observing different OT's because it reminds me why I work so hard to do well in school. I get hands on experience and actually get to see what I will be doing in the near future. I also love volunteering at a local elementary school with a fourth and fifth grade Life Skills class, which I have continued since I began volunteering with them in high school. I volunteer weekly and it's amazing to see the progress they have made in the past two years with the help of their teachers and therapists. I have enjoyed the opportunity to shadow the OT there as well. Originally, I began observation and volunteer hours out of requirement, however, I do it now out of pure enjoyment. I am at a point in my life where I can make sure I get into OT school and that is exactly what I am doing. I take advantage of every opportunity to ensure my future and can not wait until I get my acceptance letter into the Master Degree program for Occupational Therapy.

Recently I have not had as much free time as I used to when I was in High School an still lived at home. However, I still enjoy twirling whenever I can. For my 19th birthday I went skydiving and fell in love with the sport. I have been twice since and if I had more time/money I would learn to jump by myself and become a certified instructor. I love traveling and experiencing new things. Memories are the most precious thing this life has to offer in my opinion and I do my best to make as many as I possibly can. When I am not at school, work, shadowing, or volunteering, I am with my family and friends. I have four nephews and one niece that mean the world to me. I love children and they are only little for so long. I spend every chance I can playing and loving on them. My family and friends mean the world to me and without them I would not be the successful, goal driven young lady I am today.