Zoey Mendoza Zimmerman '95 lived through the worst a parent can imagine. In 2010, her husband shot and killed their two children and then himself. In the past five years, she has struggled to live with grief and open her heart to the future— while holding on to her children's memories and helping other grieving parents do the same.
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Today, though, Pacific’s School of Professional Psychology partners with other health professions programs at Pacific, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology, as well as the nearby National College of Natural Medicine, whose students and faculty provide comprehensive healthcare services.
Rachel Seibert BSW '12 was called to medical social work — and to Randall Children’s Hospital — by personal experience. At 18, she was in an accident that nearly claimed her life. She was treated at Randall for more than two years by some of the same people who are, today, her colleagues.
Janelle Jones ’11, OT ’14 spends her days helping people find the way to a new life. As an occupational therapist at Oregon State Hospital, Jones works in the state-run psychiatric hospital’s Bridges program. That means she works primarily with individuals who have been found guilty-except-for-insanity in a criminal case and who are now preparing to transition out of a hospital setting.
Oral health affects the whole body — which is why Malea Johnson DHS ‘14 is integrating dental care with medical care for Colorado’s rural residents.
Mark Loomis OTD '17 spent more than 10 years as a search-and-rescue swimmer in the Navy, serving in the Middle East. Today, he is embarking on a new career as an occupational therapist, hoping to help other veterans with the transition to civilian life.
Danika Gilbert '94 led 13 Afghan girls on a mountain climbing expedition, helping them build leadership skills and confidence in a part of the world that often tells them, "You can't."
James Ogden '72, OD '73 lent his nickname to a scholarship for Pacific University optometry students. He gives even more, though, as a mentor to the recipients of that scholarship.
