Good mentorship is the foundation for excelling in any space, and it’s important to get a mentor who has your best interests at heart. I don’t believe I would be where I am today without the amazing guidance I received my freshman year of college. For that to have been possible, someone had to guide my mentor, and someone before him, and the cycle continues. The individual I speak of has inspired me in an extraordinary way because he embodied an extraordinary example of what success looked like, and I wanted that for myself.
My mentor from my freshman year of college was a junior civil engineering scholar who maintained a 4.0 GPA while obtaining professional experiences. He would invite me to study in the computer lab and call it the 4.0 room, where we would study, and he would offer me great advice. He saw potential in me and helped me cultivate it. Seeing that work ethic in real time made me want to embody that disciplined mindset. Fast forward to my junior year, and I completed an environmental internship at a lead smelting company. I also acquired a dental assistant, HIPAA, and CPR certification. I felt like his actual peer after being intentional with my professional experiences and growth. He would call and congratulate me on my progress every time I posted on LinkedIn or gave him an update. If you’re around people who are doing well, naturally you will start to do the same because people are products of their environment. Seeing how quality mentorship shaped me inspires me to do the same for others.
Everyone has teeth, and people should be aware of the anatomy and physiology of their teeth and body. The information is accessible online, but material translates better when knowledgeable people teach it. By offering workshops in underserved communities or to anyone who is willing to learn, it will lead to a more knowledgeable populace.
I want to establish a free mobile dental clinic that will travel to underserved communities with the purpose of providing pro bono oral care to anyone who needs it. I would provide quality oral care twice a month. I want to make a lasting impression while I’m here on this earth, and by doing so with dentistry, I would be continuing the cycle of potentially influencing the people I come across in life.