The Occupational Therapy Department has a new staff member, Ms. Stephanie King. She went to Howard University to study Occupational Therapy, and is currently working on her Masters Degree in Health Education/Health Promotion also at Howard University.

Her previous job was as an Occupational Therapist on the Cardiac Unit at an area hospital. She chose The Lab School of Washington due to the fact that she really liked the philosophy of the school, which emphasizes creativity in all aspects of learning. She thinks the campus is very creative, and she especially likes that there is artwork everywhere. She finds the people, resources, and opportunities to learn to be a rewarding experience at Lab. The people that she met in the OT department over the summer also made an impression on why she chose LSW.  She stated, "It seemed like a great place for me to grow as an OT." She jokingly said that she wished the OT house was bigger.

She chose Occupational Therapy because she always wanted to be an OT, but she did not always know that such a job existed. She likes OT because it allows her to work with people on skills that they can use on a daily basis. She feels that OT is a very functional profession, and that progress can be really seen. It also allows her to work in a variety of settings such as in schools, hospitals, and in community organizations.

Her approach with learning disabilities is to find out the student's individual needs and goals, and then go from there. She said, "A lot can be accomplished when you know and accept where you're starting." She has lived in the Washington area for 8 years. She recently began painting and drawing. As a word of advice she said, "Be patient with yourselves."