Hello, does my situation sound terrible enough to ruin my chances of attending UCLA?

I wonder if UCLA is even a good fit. A quick search surrounding occupational therapy says that the schools in SoCal offering OT programs are CS Dominguez Hills and USC (plus a few private colleges that I, honestly, have never heard of). Also, to be a professional OT, you need a master’s degree, and apparently there are schools that offer combined BS/MS programs. With your community college background this might be a good choice, i.e. get a BS/MS in three years of additional work maybe-- USC offers such a program, didn’t check CSUDH. Although your grades aren’t tops, you have a clear commitment and demonstrated ability to care for patients–I would think that could count for admissions to these programs. Do some research–maybe start with the California Board of Occupational Therapy to see what the profession looks like, and what college programs will get you there:

http://www.bot.ca.gov/applicants/ot_schools.shtml

Also, looking at the USC program, I don’t think English is the best major for you–you’ll need classes in anatomy, statistics, psychology, abnormal sociology, etc. Maybe it would be good to talk to the counselors at LACC and see if they can work with you to get the proper lower division classes to get some of these requirements taken care of, and to prepare for the rest.

Good luck!