Elias Perez has been working at Trinity Mission as a physical therapy assistant while going to school at Navarro College and has earned his degree in Occupational Therapy. Recently he was awarded the ‘Student of the Year’ award.

The ‘Student of the Year’ award is given every year to students during graduation that went above and beyond in their education. Perez explained, “It is a way of giving aknowoledegement that you went above and beyond the ordinary. They said that I showed what Occupational Therapy is all about and that I am a good spokesman for that department. I was shocked and happy at the same time.”

The fifteenth of May will be Perez’s last day at Trinity Mission. He will then be off to do his clinical training (internship) for four months. He will be at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield in their Occupational Therapy Department for eight weeks and then he will be at the Veterans Hospital in Dallas to finish up his clinical’s.

After graduating from Waxahachie High School Elias went to work. He did several different jobs and he felt something was missing. So he talked to his brother Severo who is an occupational therapist and he advised him to look in to going back to school to be an Occupational Therapist. Perez explained, “Occupational Therapy has always been part of our life, helping our grandmother, watching my mother help my grandmother which is her mom. We learned that a good quality of life is really necessary for the elderly so they can be happy with the last part of their life. My brother knew this would be a perfect fit for me and he was right.”

There is a lot more to Occupational Therapy than just exercising. Perez explained, “At school they taught you different ways to rehabilitate. They taught us how to give the patients self confidence and encouragement. It is not just exercising it is being able to communicate with your patient and let them know it is not over – lets have a wonderful time.”

When asked why Occupational Therapy, Elias said, “To be able to help the patients maintain a good quality of life and to know that I am a part of it is just a really good feeling for me. It is a good feeling to know that the things that I do helps someone better their life.”

Perez would love to come back to Trinity Mission and work. He said, “I would love to come back but Trinity Mission is such a great place there is a list of people wanting to work here. I love Trinity Mission and I have enjoyed learning from everyone I worked with. I definitely would love to come back here and work.”

Congratulations and good luck!