Getting Involved

In her own words, Occupational Therapy major and water polo player Evelyn Kurzac '14 discusses her experiences at Utica College.

I play water polo here. When I was looking at schools, I wanted to find a school that was small, I wanted to participate in athletics, and I wanted to find a school that had my major, which is occupational therapy. I only looked into a couple of schools. Since I’m from Chicago, I wanted to try something new. I wanted to come out and just experience something, and if I didn’t like it, I could always go home. Since freshman year, I’ve really enjoyed it, and I’m glad I’m here. I like the connections with the faculty. The professors are very personable; they’re always there for you if you ever need anything. And I just love the balance between academics and sports.

I feel like being involved is really huge here. I feel like that’s how you create a lot of your bonds and your lifelong friendships. I feel like the professors here know how to approach every student individually. Obviously the professors are there for your academics, but I feel like as soon as you step foot into Utica College, I feel like they’re also here helping you grow as an individual. I feel like I’ve matured and become a better communicator and a better listener.

"I feel my undergraduate experience has given me a real strong foundation."
Evelyn Kurzac '14

Something that has really helped me is the Utica College library. The librarians are so helpful. We have math centers and writing centers. Academic Support is really helpful too. There’s tutoring if you ever need help. I have accommodations here with like extra time on my tests. I take my tests at different locations. I feel like they’ve really helped me with my academics in general. I’m going strong. I start graduate school for occupational therapy next year.

I feel grad school will be beneficial because it will be more OT-based. But I feel my undergraduate experience has given me a real strong foundation. All of the classes have definitely helped me, but now when I go into my graduate program next year, I feel like all those classes are going to come together and I’ll be able to use them and see what I learned.

In high school, I did get good grades, but I wouldn’t say I was the smartest person, per se. When I came here, and when I started to work harder and harder, I discovered how to really believe in myself and the abilities that I have. Sometimes I question myself about how I got this far, but in the end I know the answer. I do have the capabilities inside of me. That’s something that really shocked me.