Kean Well Represented at New Jersey Occupational Therapy Conference 
Occupational therapy students, educators and researchers from colleges and universities across the state of New Jersey attended the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association’s (NJOTA) annual conference, Networking for the Centennial Vision, on October 1 and 2, in the STEM building. A “proud above-the-knee amputee,” Melissa Stockwell, a 31-year-old Iraq War veteran, 2008 Paralympian and a 2010 and 2011 World Champion, provided the conference’s keynote address. Co-sponsored by the Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) at Kean, under the leadership of Claire Mulry, assistant professor and conference chair, the event also featured several Kean University students, faculty, staff and alumni in various capacities.
A first lieutenant, Stockwell was the first woman soldier to lose a limb in the Iraq War in 2004. With unwavering American pride, Stockwell told the poignant story of how she lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded as she was leading a convoy in Baghdad – and the impressive and inspiring journey that followed.
“There is so much unknown over in a foreign country, wearing a uniform you are proud to wear, proud to do your duty, but just wondering what is going to happen. But what was known was that that day, April 13, 2004, was the last day I was going to stand on my own two legs,” said Stockwell, who underwent “life-saving surgery” in a hospital in Baghdad. “I look back and remember knowing I was going to be OK.”
Stockwell was the first female to undergo rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“What I realized there [at Walter Reed] is that I was actually one of the lucky ones,” she says, noting other soldiers were missing multiple limbs, had lost their eyesight or experienced traumatic brain injury. “So I made a decision pretty early on to not only accept the loss of my left leg, but also that I was going to live my life for those that couldn’t and for those that had given the ultimate sacrifice.”
Following intensive physical and occupational therapy that included being fitted for and learning to use her prosthetic leg, Stockwell began participating in accessible sports. She completed the New York City marathon using a hand cycle and skied in Colorado. She began swimming recreationally before training for the Paralympics. Four years after her accident, Stockwell went on to become the first Iraq War veteran chosen to compete in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, China. She finished sixth, fifth and fourth in the 100-meter butterfly and the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle swimming events, respectively. She was also honored to serve as the U.S. team's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. Stockwell is one of four veterans featured in the documentary, Warrior Champions. 
Today, Stockwell is the reigning two-time Paratriathlon World Champion, as well as a certified prosthetist, triathlon coach and motivational speaker. She also sits on the board of several organizations for disabled athletes.
“I’ve never been happier in my life. I have done more with one leg than I could ever have imagined doing with two legs,” she said. “What I’ve learned along the way is that we all have these paths in life that we think we want and that are supposed to happen… but those paths never, ever go as planned. What makes us better as a human race is how you persevere through those obstacles that come up along the way.”
The NJOTA conference also featured more than 50 educational sessions, workshops, poster presentations and roundtable discussions in diverse practice areas including mental health, fieldwork education, assistive technology, legal issues and pediatrics.
Among the presenters were numerous Kean University alumni. Three of the alumni explored the topic of fieldwork: Anthony Castronova '10, staff therapist at Kessler Rehabilitation in Saddlebrook, N.J., discussed Maximizing Your Fieldwork Experience: A Fieldwork Educator and Student Perspective; Melissa Erwine '11 provided a practical guide for Fieldwork Education Networking for Supervisors, Educators and OT students; and Alexander Lopez '97 presented Ethical and Legal Issues in Fieldwork Education. In addition, alumna Ophira Koptinikoff '10 shared various Success Strategies for passing the NBCOT Exam. Using examples from her own life experiences as an adult with a disability (Spina Bifida), Milagros “Millie” Gonzalez ’02, ‘07 M.A, Office of University Relations, participated in a panel with two other adults with disabilities, titled A First-person Perspective: Providing Culturally Sensitive Services to Individuals with Disabilities, providing an overview of disability culture as a means to promote using a social model approach in the therapeutic environment.
Kean University was also represented at the NJOTA awards reception on Sunday. Assistant professors Dr. Mary Falzarano and Mariann Moran ’76 garnered the award of merit for education and outstanding NJOTA board member, respectively. Kean University OT student Kelliann Mulvihill received a $500 NJOTA scholarship.
Rounding out the two-day event was a New Jersey Occupational Therapy Intercollegiate Mixer hosted by Student Occupational Therapy Association of Kean (SOTA).
“The SOTA Mixer was a great venue for socialization for current members of our group, as well as for those Kean University students interested in joining the profession to learn and interact with current students,” said Ruchika Walia, president of SOTA. “OT students from other New Jersey colleges were also in attendance, which further increased networking opportunities.”
Click here to view the NJOTA 2011 Conference photo gallery.
