By JENNIFER COMPSTON-STROUGH

BELMONT — For Sarah Scott, the most important aspects of her personal life and career are human connections and empowerment.

The occupational therapist is employed by the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center and assigned to serve students and families in the Union Local School District — her own alma mater. As such, she said her role is to guide them to healthy life routines, help them improve their physical and mental health, advocate for children with unique abilities and provide them with skills and resources they can use to achieve anything they want to in life.

“Occupational therapists enrich lives by connecting people to their purpose,” Scott said. “We make learning meaningful to them and empower children with all abilities to feel as if they have no limits.”

In addition to her work with children at all grade levels and from age 3 to 21 years old, Scott also is very active in her community. She is a member of Belmont Village Council, having been appointed to a vacant seat a few months ago. She also has a long background in 4-H and has served as a project judge for a decade — a role in which she said she strives to encourage competitors to keep giving it their all.

She and her fiance, Bryce Cross, also attend The Experience Church, where she is active with the Limitless Women ministry.

“That is next-level woman empowerment,” she said of the ministry. “It awakens confidence and self-esteem. It helps women connect to their purpose, being literally limitless.”

When she and Bryce tie the knot in August, there will be no shortage of family members with whom they can celebrate the occasion.

“I am so blessed with family,” Scott said. “The Bartels family (her mother’s siblings and their children) are so loving and empowering. They love connecting with people and creating community.”

Scott said that through the course of her career she has encountered so many people who struggle, and that has taught her an important lesson: Everyone is made differently.

She said knowing that is so important when working to help a child who may not be like every other kid in their class.

“A moment in my career when I learned a valuable lesson is when I’ve witnessed education falling short of being truly child-centered. When working with children, you are incredibly responsible for their success as you constantly influence them negatively or positively, rarely neutrally,” she said.

“Considering the child’s whole being, their culture, their contexts, their supports, their abilities, their personality, their heart is how you will make the biggest impact. Children are unique, beautiful beings who need guidance, time, and space just to be. As educators and therapists, we must improve their sense of wonder and confidence, so they become strong in their identity and grow boldly.”

She also has some advice for other young women who might be interested in the field of occupational therapy: Make real connections.

“The greatest thing you can do for a child or any human is to build a connection with them based on love, trust and guidance,” Scott noted. “There are many occupational therapy theories, but the models all trickle down to human connection and empowerment.”

Scott discovered her calling while taking an early childhood education class at Ohio University Eastern. She said the professor cautioned students that they would someday encounter a “Timmy” — a child who is dirty, hungry and whose shoes are always untied. The professor reminded the students that they must attend to all the students in the class and that they couldn’t focus all their energy on “Timmy.”

Scott said she thought to herself, “I want to help Timmy.” She immediately changed her major and never looked back.

Scott added that living in the Ohio Valley is special because of its strong sense of community and Appalachian roots. She said women who come from that culture are strong and are there for one another.

“We’re protective of what we have here,” she said. “I think we are rich in culture here. Love and food are central to that, and this is a multi-generational area. There’s something beautiful about extended family growing up together.”

Scott believes more people are seeing the value of a multidisciplinary team of educators and therapists working together to help get and keep children and parents on the right track.

She also lives her life according to a simple motto: “Keep on the sunny side of life.”

“Look at every situation as an opportunity for growth,” she advises.