My desire and curiosity for dentistry has always been rooted in my childhood experiences. Around the age of 6, I began visiting the dentist. I would come in for routine cleaning, cavity checks, and even had a unilateral space-maintainer adjustment. Seeing the dentist became a regular routine where I almost knew exactly what to expect. I remembered the procedures nearly step by step from preparation, to tooth polishing, flossing, and fluoride treatment. Of course, at the time, I only recognized those steps as “the dentist uses these toys and utensils and my teeth are magically cleaned.” Next thing you know, my curiosity had taken the best of me, and I was taking trips to the dentist not because I needed another routine cleaning, but because I began visiting my father instead. My father is a dental hygienist, who is just as passionate in dentistry as I am. Not many children at this age are able to experience dentistry away from routine check ups and cleanings. Fortunately, I had the privilege of going to work with my father just to observe how and why everything worked. I did not really see any other children my age and was regularly surrounded by other dentists, whom I have personally become acquainted with. Living and experiencing the dental office environment further peaked my interest in a career in dentistry.

Fast forward to the end of elementary school and transitioning to high school, my interest still remained. I looked back at my experiences and characterized many of them as relating to skills that can be translated over to dentistry. Along the way, I took piano and guitar classes, did a variety of sports from baseball to basketball, and excelled in the sciences. Each experience led to my growth and understanding in manual dexterity from the rigorous workout regimes involved in sports, creativity from the movement, pressure, and alignment of my fingers from piano and guitar lessons, and balance from creating a balanced study schedule in the sciences to match my extracurricular activities. All of these traits are essential, if not the most important, in making a well-rounded dental hygienist.

Carrying on to high school and college, I began to do a lot of volunteer work centered around homeless shelters, food banks, and elderly folk. Helping those in need really allowed myself to broaden my perspective. As much as I enjoyed the experience, I took more pleasure in seeing people happy because I was there to help them. Every time I was catering food or telling stories with elderly folk, there was always this distinct smile I would see; a smile that transcended my purpose for a career in dentistry. This became one of the main reasons why I wanted to pursue this career path. To see that same smile repeated over again because you were able to shape their life even in the most minimal of ways or the smallest of gestures is a privilege I cannot take for granted. One experience that stood out to me the most was when I volunteered at the Arc Reach of San Francisco, which is a recreation center for adults with mental and physical disabilities. Without going too much into detail, I guided many of these creative individuals to help express their feelings through art work. The smile that I would see on theirface once they completed their work was absolutely priceless. I knew that if I could replicate that same smile anywhere else, it would have to be in dentistry.

As I started college, my resolve for my career path was crystal clear. I knew with the utmost certainty that dentistry was the career for me. To accentuate my skills and prepare for dental hygiene school, I applied to a dental assisting position with my current mentor, Dr. Belinda Head DDS, MS during my sophomore year. Learning the ropes were quite challenging, working rigorous, full 8-hour work days. However, from traveling to downtown San Francisco directly from a full day at university to simply learning how to pour study models, I thoroughly enjoyed every step of this process without a single doubt. Seeing patients leave with a brighter smile on a regular basis brought me the utmost satisfaction knowing that I was able to replicate that coveted smile. Combined with the traits that I learned early on, all the hard work and tenacity that I endured through my studies and dental assisting has brought me to where I am today. With an extravagant curiosity and drive to learn at the highest level and to tend to patients in need of a new smile, here I am now.