Q: Why did you choose the UConn School of Dental Medicine?

My wife and I fell in love with Connecticut on a trip prior to my interview with the dental school. We were fortunate to see New England during the fall season when the leaves had begun to change color. I had an incredibly positive interview experience and it just felt right to choose UConn. The faculty were so caring, the class size was small, the biomedical curriculum was enticing, and several alumni I contacted simply raved about the exceptional preparation UConn provided for the next steps in their dental journeys.

Q: Tell us more about your path to dental school?

I grew up in Sammamish, Washington, where I developed a love for sports, hiking, and kayaking. Some of these passions stemmed from my involvement in Boy Scouts, during which time I led the organization and shipment of disaster relief kits to Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 as part of an Eagle Scout Project. While volunteering as a math tutor at my local elementary school for several years, I further developed a passion for mentorship and helping others.

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, with a minor in Spanish, from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After a year studying at Brigham Young University, I served an ecclesiastical mission for two years in Cali, Colombia where I learned to speak Spanish. Upon returning to my studies, I began gravitating towards a profession in healthcare while serving as a Spanish interpreter and phlebotomist at a free health clinic in Midvale, Utah. This clinic provides care for uninsured individuals and families.

Q: What activities were you involved with as a student?

I am a proud Urban Service Track/AHEC scholar, and have not only been an active collaborator on multiple interdisciplinary projects addressing issues of access to care, but also led the development and production of over 30 podcasts on interprofessional education, team-based care and social determinants of health. I also held leadership roles in the pediatric dentistry student interest group, the SPEA chapter, ASDA, and ADEA. I completed the ADEA Academic Dental Careers Fellowship program and, through that program, developed an AI facilitated chatbot to enhance caregiver and parental education in pediatric dentistry, done in collaboration with faculty at Dartmouth School of Medicine. I have been involved in multiple service/outreach activities, including CT Mission of Mercy, Special Olympics, and Head Start programming. I even had the chance to coach a youth soccer team in Plainville during my spare time!

Q: What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?

I was surprised by how passionate the faculty are about their school, and the state they live in. They wear their UConn loyalty with pride and I was lucky to be trained by extremely qualified teachers who could have accepted prestigious positions elsewhere, but instead chose to stay at UConn and give back to their alma mater.

Q: What’s one thing every student should do during their time at UConn?

Go explore Connecticut and its surrounding states! My wife and I are enamored with this part of the country…there is so much to do and see! I would also highly recommend attending UConn sporting events. Go Huskies!

Q: Who inspired you to enter dental medicine? Or who was your favorite mentor here and why?

I had the pleasure of seeing my dad, a pediatric dentist, come home from work each night and tell stories about positive patient interactions he had during the day. I was inspired by how much he loved his job, and it provided a spark to explore the dental profession through shadowing and service while I was in my undergraduate education.

Q: Where are you heading for your residency placement? What do you look forward to the most? 

I will be pursuing advanced education in Pediatric Dentistry at The Ohio State University/Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I’m looking forward to taking the excellent patient-centered care I was taught here at UConn and using that to create positive experiences for children in the dental clinic.

Q: What’s one thing that will always make you think of UConn?

Apart from UConn Husky basketball games (which I will be tuning in to for the rest of my life), I will always think of UConn when I check-in on my fellow classmates and faculty members. We are all colleagues in the profession, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the people who I started this journey with.

Q:What’s it going to be like to walk across the Commencement stage and get your DMD?

Without a doubt, it is going to feel surreal! Time flies when you are having fun…and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience over the past four years. I’m sure I will get emotional seeing all the people who supported me all gathered together in the same venue.

Q: Any final words of wisdom for incoming students?