Occupational

Identity

Living in the CountryGrowing up on a rural farm has impacted a

lot on my life. I have grown up to be the person I am today by living in the country,

where I have participated in occupations that have taught me life long lessons and ways to deal with things in certain situations, if it was

from learning how to ride a motorbike to helping a cow give birth. I know I will always

be able to feel comfortable in country environments.

Family Member

Being part of my family is a huge part of my occupational identity. Since there is only my family that live in NZ, I feel as though we will always have special connections as we haven't be privileged to have any other family members to go visit for the weekend or

see yearly. Family has taught me to respect and be grateful for the little things that others take for granted. I have a sense of belonging within New Zealand.

Horse Riding

I have ridden horses for over 13 years which has contributed to my identity by allowing me to learn life skills such as patience and gentleness. Competing every weekend made me part of an extended family, where I felt welcomed into a large community of competitiveness and challenges. Every weekend was a family affair as all us kids rode so the parental support we had made our goals achievable.

Family TripsThese trips teach me life skills while having the support of my family there

with me. They have taught me to respect my family a lot more especially

my brothers as I realise how much they support me, me being the

youngest when being in a foreign country.

Hockey

Since the day a hockey stick was given to me I have felt a sense of belonging in many hockey teams and hockey communities, meeting new people and allowing

myself to push myself physically and mentally when it came to the big final games and enduring a week long of tournament. My role of being a committed player meant

long trainings and time spent on perfecting techniques that gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that I can achieve things when I work hard and put time into the

occupation.

Friends

Friends will always be a big part of my occupational identity as these are the people that influence what occupations I choose to participate in. They give me support and stability in tough situations and are always there to help me with my decisions. Since I have very little family in NZ my friends are my second family which I appreciate as

they shape who I am and who I will become.

Dunedin StudentComing down to Dunedin last year has

been a big part of my current occupational identity as I have

embraced the full Dunedin student life, from O week antics, to St Paddy's day

activities to the Royal Hyde street party. Meeting new people and

experiencing the life in such a student environment has taught me lessons

and given me roles and responsibilities such as being a flat

mate; assigned days for cooking and looking after yourself is a huge role

while still being there to support your other flat mates. Being a student has taught me to balance social and study life, even though this is a challenge in

itself.

Travel

The travel I have experienced has shaped my identity as some of the occupations I engaged in has shown how open minded and determined I am to try new things, even

when I was too young I was determined to get on the trapezium to prove that I could do it even when they said I was too young. I saw the occupation as, if my brothers were allowed to do trapezium then I found no reason why I couldn’t. Even though I did not

realise at such a young age but you begin to learn what you value very early on.

Occupational TherapistCurrently studying to be a qualified occupational therapist gives me a

pathway of who I am becoming and giving me a generalized identity to

other students, as on a daily basis I get asked ‘what do you study’ which

I reply with occupational therapy. This gives me a sense of stability

that I am on a planned pathway that is resulting in a satisfying

occupation that I will be able to help individuals in society once I am

qualified.

Image retrieved from https://shp.missouri.edu/ot/images/OTAdultClinic.1.jpg