It is normal for Connecticut Gamma Gracie Chin to travel between the three Quinnipiac University (QU) campuses filling her day with academic classes, fieldwork, working as a fitness instructor and staying involved with Pi Beta Phi. Gracie attributes her ability to keep up through something drilled into her mind by her academic program: occupational balance.

Gracie is currently in her senior year of college, but in a unique situation at QU: she is enrolled in a dual degree program. This means that after five and a half years in school, Gracie will have earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Wow! And understanding their needs, the professors and advisors remind students, like Gracie, to find balance between leisure, self, and work – that is occupational balance.

So what is occupational therapy? Based on Quinnipiac’s website, Occupational therapy is the art and science of helping individuals and families develop purposeful activities (occupations) that improve the overall quality of their lives.

For Gracie the impact she wants to make is by working with kids. Occupational Therapy can help kids improve their sensory, cognitive, physical, and motor skills. She believes that young age makes the kids much more open to new ideas and receiving help. “The kids have upbeat personalities,” says Gracie, “it does not take much to encourage them to open up.”

It is interesting for Gracie to see how the different aspects of a child’s community can affect the changes and development of these children. Gracie has seen how the foundation of a strong family support best serves a child. She has also seen how a challenging situation a family is going through can truly affect the child. Realizing this in her academic career can be extremely helpful as she begins her professional career, as she now knows to put in an effort with the family as well as the child.

Gracie is currently on the field work/service-learning portion of her program in which she spends time in a classroom in a school in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Pre-School classrooms have been one of her favorite settings as she gets to view how the classroom runs as well as be involved in the activities with the kids. Gracie recalls that the expectations in the classroom have vastly changed from when she was at this age level. But she is excited to be part of the development of the social skills of these kids, as they’re already learning to name the letters of the alphabet and are lower level readers! Gracie is inspired by these positive kids and thinks we can all learn something from them.