Donor Support Takes SSU Occupational Therapy Student to National Conference

With support from the SSU Foundation, Shawnee State University graduate student Maybree Rinard ‘25 attended the three-day American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Conference & Expo in Anaheim, California. She came home inspired, and she has already shared what she learned with her classmates.

Rinard, a student in Shawnee State’s Occupational Therapy program, prepared before the trip by seeking out professors, mentors, and past attendees to set expectations. She approached the conference with intention rather than treating it as just another trip.

Once there, she gravitated toward student-focused sessions on interviewing and exam prep. One session stood out above the rest: Pediatric Feeding Education, which ties directly to her goal of practicing pediatric occupational therapy.

Rinard says she left the conference “inspired and grateful” for the sessions, the Presidential Address, hearing guest speaker J.R. Martinez, and the connections she made with fellow student delegates. Those relationships are still active today.

Maybree Rinard ‘25 at AOTA Inspire 2026

The impact of the trip didn’t stay with her alone. Rinard has already shared the tools and ideas she brought back with her classmates, extending the value of the experience well beyond a single student.

Opportunities like this help future healthcare professionals grow in their field before they enter it, and that growth carries forward to the patients, families, and communities they will one day serve.

To make a donation to help fund opportunities for students like Maybree, please visit givetossu.com, and consider joining us this December 1 for Day of Giving 2026 to raise $50,000 for Shawnee State University.