OTD News - Volume VIII, Issue 1

3 AOTA Assembly of Student Delegates By: Jordan Powers, OTR/S Chair of the AOTA Assembly of Student Delegates AOTA ASD stands for the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Assembly of Student Delegates; it provides an avenue for student concerns to be addressed. Created and sustained by student occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) representatives across the country, the ASD supports student members of AOTA by com- municating their interests and developing leadership opportunities. The Assembly is directed by a Steering Committee consisting of: Chair, OT Vice-Chair, OTA Vice-Chair, Representa- tive to the Commission on Education, Representative to the Representative Assembly, Rep- resentative to the Commission on Practice, Secretary, and a Communications and Advocacy Chair. These individuals meet on a regular basis and are essential to the function of the or- ganization. Once a year, members of the Steering Committee and all the representatives around the nation are able to meet in person, the day before the AOTA Annual Conference. Additionally, meetings are held online twice a year for members to become familiar with their new roles and to collaborate with one another for ideas. The ASD has created additional resources for students to take advantage of while in school and when transitioning into the role of a new practitioner. The OT Student Pulse is a monthly e-newsletter that provides insight into student concerns and addresses topics that are important to its members. Boardroom to Classroom was created by the ASD for stu- dents to discuss with the AOTA Board of Directors members current topics affecting them and the profession. ASD communicates regularly with students through email, Facebook, OT Connections, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other common social media sites to en- sure they are staying up-to-date on current concerns. Additionally, members of the Steering Committee have an active role in all areas of AOTA and represent students to the previously mentioned commissions. For the past two years, I have been the AOTA delegate from Nova Southeastern Univer- sity (NSU), Tampa, to the ASD and have thoroughly enjoyed attending conference, meeting other students across the nation and representing my school. I learned how to be a better advocate, manage my time better and discovered new ways of fundraising through school collaboration. I am grateful to have been able to represent such a wonderful program to this assembly of students and look forward to training the next person elected to the position. As I was recently elected to the ASD Chair position, I will be transitioning out of my role as Representative of NSU, Tampa, and moving into my new role of representing all students across the country. In my new role I will oversee the Steering Committee, serve as an advisor to the AOTA Board of Directors, and facilitate the ASD Annual Conference and Meetings. I officially take office July 1, 2017, but until then I have been shadowing the current Chair and assisting with his responsibilities. To ensure that I am available to all the occupational thera- py and occupational therapy assistant students, my email address is Chair.ASDSC@gmail.com. I am grateful for this honor and look forward to serving students and ensuring that their needs are addressed. Page 14 OTD News, Volume VIII, Issue 1