Philip Nordeck, O.T., Billings MT, and his moment of reckoning
Phil is originally from Colorado. He attended the University of Colorado, Boulder then joined the Peace Corps and served as an English teacher in Costa Rica. Following that, he taught in the Denver area. He decided to pursue occupational therapy (OT), which led him to Billings in 2019 to attend OT school at Rocky Mountain College. When he's not on campus (at Rocky Mountain College), where he is now a professor in the OT program, he likes to cycle, snowboard, and spend time with his dog, Irie. You often see Iris in a backpack with Philip, biking Billings.
"Climate change has always been on my mind. I had a reckoning, though, over the 2021 winter holidays. Driving home to Denver with my family after my November graduation from Occupational Therapy School, my brother hit a pitch of ice on a stretch of road an hour north of Casper and totaled my car. Then, after Christmas, the day I left Denver to drive a rental car back to Billings, the Boulder-Louisville fire scorched and destroyed many homes--a fire in December! All those events conspired to really open my eyes. Now that I am done with my schooling, and have more free time, I am often consumed with eco-anxiety. I desire to act and connect with community and engage in something that, as you say, is "up my alley". I am also engaging my students in actions for the environment by discussing how occupational therapy can address climate change; how healthcare generally may address climate change; and how students can get involved in Montana-based community groups or community groups in their hometown."
Based on his “reckoning”, Philip Nordeck then joined the Northern Plains Resource Council, the Billings Citizens Climate Lobby, and the Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate and has become active in each of these groups over the past 2 year. Action is the antidote for despair!
Phil is originally from Colorado. He attended the University of Colorado, Boulder then joined the Peace Corps and served as an English teacher in Costa Rica. Following that, he taught in the Denver area. He decided to pursue occupational therapy (OT), which led him to Billings in 2019 to attend OT school at Rocky Mountain College. When he's not on campus (at Rocky Mountain College), where he is now a professor in the OT program, he likes to cycle, snowboard, and spend time with his dog, Irie. You often see Iris in a backpack with Philip, biking Billings.
"Climate change has always been on my mind. I had a reckoning, though, over the 2021 winter holidays. Driving home to Denver with my family after my November graduation from Occupational Therapy School, my brother hit a pitch of ice on a stretch of road an hour north of Casper and totaled my car. Then, after Christmas, the day I left Denver to drive a rental car back to Billings, the Boulder-Louisville fire scorched and destroyed many homes--a fire in December! All those events conspired to really open my eyes. Now that I am done with my schooling, and have more free time, I am often consumed with eco-anxiety. I desire to act and connect with community and engage in something that, as you say, is "up my alley". I am also engaging my students in actions for the environment by discussing how occupational therapy can address climate change; how healthcare generally may address climate change; and how students can get involved in Montana-based community groups or community groups in their hometown."
Based on his “reckoning”, Philip Nordeck then joined the Northern Plains Resource Council, the Billings Citizens Climate Lobby, and the Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate and has become active in each of these groups over the past 2 year. Action is the antidote for despair!
