OCCUPATIONAL IDENTITYBy Emma Kingston

B E I N G A D A U G H T E RBeing a daughter is an occupational identity of mine that is very important to me. Being a daughter is an occupation I love being and doing. It comes with many positives, love, smiles and happiness. This relationship is achieved by regular interaction with my parents and involves frequent phone calls, skype calls and text messages when I am away from home.

B E I N G A S I S T E R Being an older sister is a pleasure. I appreciate the fact that I have a brother because as children growing up we would have so much fun doing activities together and as we have grown older, we have become better friends.

B E I N G A F R I E N D Being a good friend is an occupational identity that I love to have. Having friends that I care about is a big part of my life. Within this role, I am a good listener, am someone to have fun and a laugh with and am there to provide support if any friends need it.

B E I N G A G R A N D D A U G H T E RTo me, identifying as a good granddaughter involves keeping in regular contact with my grandma as well as loving and caring for her. Regular texts, phone calls and visits are completed within my involvement in this occupation.

B E I N G A G I R L F R I E N DBeing a girlfriend is an occupational identity that I also have strong involvement in. Being a girlfriend involves caring for my boyfriend and sharing fun experiences with one another.

N E T B A L LNetball is a strong occupational identity that I have been involved in ever since I was six years old. It is a huge passion of mine that enables me to be active, competitive and to have fun. My involvement in this occupation involves playing in a team, representing my top school teams, my region and being a coach and umpire.

T E N N I S Tennis is an occupation that provides me with an identity. I have been involved in this sport for many years which has involved me representing my school in tournaments, and being payed by professional coaches to teach other tennis players with the same passion.

B A B Y - S I T T I N G Babysitting is an occupational role that I am currently and have been involved in for many years now. I enjoy looking after children and working for my own money.

B E I N G A S C H O O L P R E F E C T Being a house prefect at my school is an occupational identity that I was involved in. This

occupation allowed me to develop leadership skills which I will be able to put to use in the future.

B E C O M I N G T O B E A N O C C U P A T I O N A L T H E R A P I S T Studying to become an occupational therapist is an occupational identity that I am

strongly involved in throughout this stage in my life. It provides me with purpose and a goal to work towards achieving so that I can work towards having a successful life. Much of my time is allocated towards studying although in the end – I believe it is all worth it.