Get to know our Student Ambassadors, an enthusiastic group of occupational therapy students helping bring AOTA INSPIRE 2026 to life! They’ll be sharing engaging social content, highlighting sessions and speakers, and building excitement around the conference across AOTA’s social media platforms.
Acacia is a 2nd-year Occupational Therapy Doctoral student at The George Washington University, and one of the new 2026 AOTA student ambassadors! She’s passionate about content creation and using her platform to highlight the different faces of OT, the impact of OT, and making OT more accessible through digital content.
Emily is a 3rd year e-OTD student at University of Southern California. She’s currently finishing up her Level IIB fieldwork at an outpatient neurorehabilitation setting and hopes to continue to work in adult rehab when she becomes a licensed OT. In addition to being a grad student, she is also a part-time content creator within the occupational therapy niche. Some of her favorite occupations are roller skating, hiking, camping, and journaling!
Zoey is a Hawaii Pacific University OTD-LV student who believes in the power of occupational therapy to transform lives and communities. Zoey is beyond excited to serve as a Student Ambassador for AOTA INSPIRE 2026 and share the experience through a student lens. Let’s connect, learn, and grow together at INSPIRE!
Samantha Donaire (she/her/ella) is a second-year Latina OTD student from Virginia Commonwealth University. Samantha is the VCU COTAD Chapter Chair and serves as a Student Intern for the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association. Outside of school, she enjoys solo-traveling and is a yoga instructor. Her career interests are in Global Health and amplifying occupational justice.
Vanessa is an occupational therapy doctoral student, a proud mom of two young boys, and an aspiring pelvic floor OT. Her capstone focuses on pelvic health, where she hopes to continue practicing after graduation. Through her OT journey, she enjoys sharing real-life moments from school, motherhood, and her path to becoming an OT.
Submit this form to receive the latest updates for AOTA INSPIRE 2026 | Annual Conference & Expo—the largest gathering of occupational therapy professionals in the world.
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814-6519
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is the national professional association established in 1917 to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy and to improve the quality of occupational therapy services.
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