cOnnecT with Wendi Wright

CAOT-BC welcomes Wendi Wright to the Advisory Committee as the MOTI representative for 2013-2014.

My name is Wendi Wright and I am a first year Master of Occupational Therapy student at UBC. I graduated in June 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics.

Before returning to school, I had been working in the fitness industry for nearly 20 years, first as a fitness instructor and a personal trainer and then moved into management of the programs and finally the facility.  I enjoyed each position that I held and gained a lot of experience through each of them but I always felt that there was something missing and that I should be giving more. I found myself drawn into my client’s stories and really trying to figure out what made them tick and then using that insight to help them reach goals that weren’t always fitness related but were health and well-being related.

After going through a life-changing event and then sitting back and evaluating what I wanted to see my future become, I made the decision to go back to school and pursue my (then) dream of furthering my education in Kinesiology. My first semester there I went to a job fair at the university and spoke with a representative from Interior Health. I described my ‘ideal dream job’ to her and she flipped open her book and pointed to the page that said ‘ Occupational Therapist’. I couldn’t believe it existed and from that point forward my path was set.

I developed an interest in brain injury rehabilitation while volunteering in a brain injury rehabilitation home. I was impressed with the unique approaches that the OT used with each individual resident and I was able to see how effective the non-cookie-cutter approach was. I also worked with a young man with cerebral palsy and was given the gift of his experience within the health care system and living with disability. This fuelled a passion for advocating for client-centered practice as well as advocating for those whose voices are overlooked or not heard at all.

For the past seven years I have been a single mom raising a son and a daughter. They are my greatest gifts and have taught me so much about love, empathy and yes, patience and perseverance. They are at the age now where I think they teach me more than I teach them!

I believe in life-balance and strive to maintain it in this crazy busy world we live in. I enjoy anything active and anything outdoors, primarily beach volleyball in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. I try to encourage those around me to just move because our bodies love it!

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve as a volunteer on CAOT-BC and feel honored to work with such an experienced and skilled team. I intend to learn all I can from them.