Fullerton, CA
Undergraduate Student at UCLA; planning to enter the LECOM School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, FL
The field of dentistry had always intrigued me as a child; however, it was going on a trip with my family where I experienced something so surreal that left a lasting impression on me. While traveling in India, I came across a small shop on the street, where a woman was yelling and crying loudly while a man reached into her mouth. He was a street dentist who, without any dental education and licensure, was treating his patient by pulling out her tooth vigorously. I had always thought of the dentist as a healer whom a patient can trust and feel safe under his/her care. However, that was not evident in this frightening scene of the street dentist. This incident left me in a state of discomfort and pain that resulted in growing my interest in dentistry and building a passion to make a difference by helping to serve the community, especially the underserved population, where some people only have access to these unsafe street dentists due to their socioeconomic status.
In order to pursue my goal of becoming dentist, I completed my undergraduate studies in biochemistry at University of California Los Angeles. During my term I exposed myself to the dentistry profession by completing an internship at a non-profit dental clinic, where I came into contact with diverse patients from low-income families that had multiple dental needs. It was a great learning experience for me, and I enjoyed each moment of it from giving oral hygiene instructions to our patients to chair side assisting the dentist in different treatments. Also, I volunteered numerous times with Thousand Smiles Foundation in Mexico, where I had the opportunity to be a part of a team and provide dental care to children with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. It was very painful watching small kids who have trouble with speech and feeding; knowing that I played a role in changing their lives makes me feel proud of myself.
I will be attending U.S. dental school in the fall of 2014 and this scholarship will help me to pay off my dental school tuition, fees as well as it will give me funds to pay for dental mission trips to provide dental care to less fortunate people during my dental school term. I am an active volunteer and I enjoy and take pride in helping people in need. Because of my selfless contributions to the society through volunteering I was honored with President’s Volunteer Service Award. By becoming a dentist, I will be able to continue my passion of helping the underserved population and help people ease their pain.
