Roda Bustamante, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Roda was born in the City of Olongapo, Philippines. She left the Philippines with her family at a young age and subsequently lived in Atlanta, GA and Sacramento, CA prior to moving to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson. She considers Tucson her hometown as she attended middle school, high school, and college there (Bear Down!)

Roda’s passion for helping people began at a very young age, when she tore her ACL playing basketball. She recalls OT sessions with her physical therapist and how it helped her recover from her injury. She appreciated how passionate her therapist was about helping her return to recovery and had so much joy doing it too. From that moment, she wanted to find that same joy helping others while loving what she did for work. In addition to the influence of pursuing a career in healthcare, Roda’s grandparents had the biggest impact in her life, as she was a caregiver to them and experienced first-hand how fulfilling it was to help them try to gain back their independence.

She loves occupational therapy and integrating fine motor and gross motor activities with sensory motor activities. One of the best parts of being an OT is being able to build rapport with the kids and their families. She enjoys telling parents and caregivers about their child’s progress and providing helpful tips and resources they can incorporate in the natural setting.

During her down time you may find Roda playing sand volleyball and basketball. She loves food and trying new restaurants in town. She also enjoys hiking, riding her mountain bike, traveling, and enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning.

Fun facts about Roda: Roda used to play semi-professional basketball, traveled to at least 25 states, and can speak some words in Tagalog!