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High School Students Explore New Careers
NEIT held its annual Tech Camp on June 27 – June 29. Sixty juniors and seniors from area high schools participated in Tech Camp 2006. The students were able to explore technical careers by participating in hands-on classes in Game Development Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Video and Radio Production Technology, and Architectural Building Engineering Technology.
The Momentum Was There!
Two students in the 6th quarter of Occupational Therapy Assistant Technology, Lucille Jenkins and Christina Allard, recently made a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the 86th annual American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Conference and Expo. They drove over 1,600 miles roundtrip to be part of an extensive research project that was presented by Associate Professor Carol Doehler MS, OTR/L and 2003 NEIT graduate Kevin Gianquitti COTA/L.
The presentation was based on their Level II Fieldwork affiliation at the House of Hope, a transitional homeless shelter in Warwick, RI. The students supported the project by organizing interviews, photos, and a PowerPoint presentation. While at the conference, the students met up with fellow NEIT faculty members, Rebecca Simon MS, OTR/L and Sue Higgins MA, OTR/L. They also met up with Rhode Island Occupational Therapy Association President, Gina Alston OTR/L, and NEIT SOTA Club student delegate, Courtney Lent.
In the opening ceremony, guest speaker John Hockenberry, a news journalist and author, set the stage. The students had the opportunity to interact with other students from various parts of the world. Christina and Lucille networked with occupational therapy graduate students from across the country during poster presentations. They had the opportunity to speak with numerous job recruiters, receive samples and information from vendors around the country, and witness other occupational therapy practices from universities and facilities. In addition, they viewed and tested the latest technology used in practice. Most importantly, the students sat in on a few seminars, one of which was presented by the United States Army. The presentation discussed the services provided for amputee and burn victims returning from overseas, as well as the psychosocial effects of war on the soldiers.
Christina Allard shared her thoughts, “I thought it was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait for next year in St. Louis!” Lucille Jenkins said, “I didn’t realize how big the profession is. It was amazing to see everyone come together and share their love of occupational therapy.”
(l-r): Carol Doehler, Christina Allard, Lucille Jenkins and Kevin Gianquitti |