Andres Gutierrez

Personal Statement

Throughout my life, I have experienced and witnessed many elements that have

only grown my passion to become an occupational therapist. When my brother first came

into the world, I never saw him as anything different. He was born with Down syndrome,

but as a child, I just saw him as my “brother”. We shared the same physical characteristics –

same hair, eyes, mouth, ears, limbs – the only thing that differentiated us was how people

would treat us. My parents took extra time with him, while they expected more from me.

People would treat him with pity, but would treat me like a normal human being. However,

as time went on, I realized that he really was different from me. He was different in the

sense that his strength in his neck, core, and legs were not like mine and everyone else

around him. I shifted all of my energy in helping him get that strength and be as

independent as he can be. We did exercises together that helped develop his neck and core

strength to the point that he was able to lift himself up from the floor and even grab things

that he desired with little help from me. Furthermore, we performed more exercises and

advanced from moving his limbs, to standing up, and eventually to walking over objects.

From these exercises, I’ve witnessed first-hand how much better it made him, not just

physically but emotionally. He was finally able to do things that he was so accustomed to

just seeing other people do, and the pride in his face was unmatched. There was no better

feeling than seeing my brother be able to do day-to-day activities alongside the other kids

his age. From this experience as a child to a young adult, he has been my biggest influence

in my decision to become an occupational therapist.

 As I grew older, my passion grew tenfold. I transferred to California State University,

Fullerton as a kinesiology major where I came to understand more about myself and my

aspirations. I learned about body functions and was even able to treat an impinged nerve in

my arm without knowing. I focused all my energy in understanding how the body was

connected from head to toe, and how to treat and prevent injuries. I was able to understand

more about my body, and apply that knowledge in helping my parents and my brother. I

was further able to help my brother in his everyday activities, such as standing up from a

chair and picking a heavy object from the ground. Not only has this helped me with my

impinged nerve, but it helped my brother with his everyday activities. From what I learned,

we were both able to confidently do things that we struggled with before – such as typing

and playing basketball with each other. Becoming a kinesiology major was one of the

greatest decisions of my life, and I strive to learn more by appending occupational therapy

with my kinesiology background.

On top of being a full-time student, I was blessed with the opportunity to work and

volunteer as a behavioral therapist with children with special needs, specifically autism. I

applied my knowledge of the four functions of behavior to help them, and I can say I saw

great improvement in the time that I was with them. I was able to learn alongside them and

grow my skills even more. Play and positive reinforcement was a huge determinant in their

motivation, and I worked with them so they could confidently greet their peers, make eye

contact, share toys, and gain attention from others. I continuously cheered on the children

and teenagers that I crossed paths with in this journey, and saw their courage and

determination flourish. With this newfound fearlessness, their motor planning skills greatly

improved. Helping these children and teenagers has been a great accomplishment for me.
Regardless of their condition, it has been moving to be able to help an individual and see

them reach their utmost potential.

An occupational therapist is a unique position in which I can help an individual with

any part of their daily living. Thankfully, I have had a bounty of grandiose experiences that

have helped me gain the skills I need to be able to succeed in my goal of being just that. I

want to continue helping my family, alongside other individuals and their families, in order

to give them the confidence to accomplish their physical and emotional goals. I will

undoubtedly improve my skillset in order to become someone that I am proud of, and

reflect it in my career with my 110%.