Welcome Ceremony
Molly V. Strzelecki
Things are best in pairs: peanut butter and jelly. Pretzels and chocolate. Diamonds and pearls.
And AOTA’s Annual Conference & Expo and conga lines.
If you’ve been to Conference before, you know that nothing can truly get started until there is a conga line at the Welcome ceremony, and this year, like those in the past, did not disappoint. As occupational therapy practitioners hopped and bopped their way through the hall to the upbeat tunes emanating from the stage, it was clear that this year’s Conference in Houston was going to be full of the Energy that matches with this year’s theme. (So now we can add that one to the list of great pairs, too – AOTA Conference & Expo and Energy!)
AOTA President Penny Moyers Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA, welcomed attendees and handed out thanks to the many people who helped put Conference together to make it a great experience, including Marsh services and the Texas Occupational Therapy Association, and recognized special groups attending, such as military OT practitioners, and OTAs, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary at Conference. Moyers Cleveland also made special mention of this year’s Conference charity, Camp for All, and the Conference service project, Dress for Success Houston.
And after a short introduction from Shirley Wells, MPH, OTR, FAOTA, and Roxie Black, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, this year’s keynote speaker stepped onto the stage, the smile on his face instantaneously warming and grabbing the crowd. As this year’s keynote, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the president of the University of Maryland Baltimore College, had Conference attendees laughing from the start with his engaging and conversational style, and spoke eloquently and to the heart on occupation and culture. He acknowledged the personal connection that is at the heart of occupational therapy, nothing that “As you work to help other people, you give them a piece of yourself.”
He challenged the crowd to think about how they interact with clients, with each other, and how that impacts their understanding of culture. Questions about culture are ones that we should never stop asking, ones we should always seek out more information about, Hrawbowski said. Because after all, as he pointed out, “you never know the full background of a person. We must keep asking the questions, and questioning the assumptions.”
“To understand culture, we must understand our own story,” Hrabowski stated, adding that the way practitioners think about themselves as an organization and the values they display determine not only you as a person, but also the profession as a whole.
“The work you do,” Hrabowski said firmly, “is noble.”
As he brought his speech to a close, Hrabowski charged Conference attendees to ask themselves why they do what they do, and how they will demonstrate and explain their talents to others to meet the goals that the profession has set for itself.
“Think about things we haven’t even thought about yet,” Hrabowski said. “Your thoughts become words, your words become actions, your actions become habits, your habits become your character, and your character becomes your destiny.”
Those powerful and poignant words zinged through the crowd like a bolt of electricity, and from the applause that seemed to shake the rafters it was clear to see that this year’s Annual Conference & Expo had not only excitement (and conga lines!) in abundance, but also ENERGY.