During a ceremony held on February 27, the Department of Occupational Therapy welcomed one of its largest group of new members into Pi Theta Epsilon. PTE, a national honor society, recognizes outstanding students who demonstrate scholastic excellence and a commitment to contributing to the advancement of the occupational therapy profession.

At the induction, the new PTE members were individually recognized and as a group they recited the PTE’s pledge. Second-year student, Megan Roney and PTE treasurer commented, “It was wonderful to welcome all of the new members into Pi Theta and to celebrate their academic achievement.”

As part of the ceremony, Mackenzi Pergolotti, assistant professor, shared her journey to becoming an occupational therapist, what brought her to Colorado State University, and her research in the field of occupational therapy and oncology. Roney added, “Mackenzi’s talk about her journey into research was very inspirational and I think reminded us all of the power of creating change and expansion in the field though research pursuits.”

As part of the mission of promoting scholarly activities, PTE hosts guest speakers from various areas of occupational therapy practice and research for students and faculty. Previous speakers have shared their expertise in starting a business, adaptive recreation opportunities in the community and working with people with autism. Upcoming speakers will be talking about occupational therapy in a school setting and the integration of assistive technology in schools.

By Katie Townsend