I am currently studying a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the Australian Catholic University. I choose this degree because I wanted to have a hands on approach of helping people in their everyday life. From early teenage years, I have had the opportunity of working/ supporting children through my part time job as a gymnastics coach, this included children with a range of needs including Autism. My desire to further assist these students came into fruition with my HSC Design and Technology Major as I designed a sensory cushion for children with Autism. During the progress of this project I established a true desire to help children and youth with disabilities. Since starting Occupational Therapy at the Australian Catholic University, I have been completely open to the learning opportunities that have been provided. On my recent placement at Sutherland Hospital, I worked with a variety of allied health care professionals in the Acute, Rehabilitation and Geriatric wards. I hany many opportunity to interact and assist members of the community in both the hospital and home visits. I have also been a part of the Oatley RSL Youth Club for 16 years. For 13 years I participated in both gymnastics and sports aerobics, competing at both state and national level. At age 14 I started volunteering by helping the coaches.The following year I was offered a job as a gymnastics coach the following year, which I continue to this day. This job is an extremely rewarding occupation as it allows me to help children not only develop their coordination and flexibility but sportsmanship, social skill building, self esteem and confidence . I teach children ages ranging from 4 to 16 years including those with disabilities.