The Importance of Proper Dental Care - Essay Example

Personal ment From a very young age, I have been aware of the importance of proper dental care thanks to my father’s profession as a dentist in Yemen. For years, I was fascinated with the work he did and seemed always to know that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I would watch as people would come in with so much pain that they could not eat anything and my father would make them feel better, sending them home with gauze and the knowledge that they would soon be able to have food again. Young children would come into his office and he would show them how to keep their teeth clean and white and healthy and adults would ask him for advice. The sense of responsibility to serve our fellow man is strong in my family as I also have a cousin who is a dentist in New York, an older brother who is a neurosurgeon at Ford Hospital and another brother currently studying medicine in Germany. To me, being a dentist is providing people with an essential partner for their future health and well-being and I am hoping to gain the knowledge and education I need for this from University of North Carolina, where I am currently attending as an undergraduate. Not only do I believe I would make a very fine dentist, but I am accustomed to hard work and have developed the skills necessary to study effectively on my own. When I came to this country from my birth country, Yemen, I did not speak English. As soon as I graduated from my high school, I came to America, to New York City, to learn how to speak and to become acquainted with the culture here. There was a bit of culture shock as, at the time, the sentiment in the country was largely against anyone with a name such as mine, Kuahtan Alsaidi, or who came from the Middle East. We were all considered terrorists and this made it more difficult when I had trouble remembering a word or trying to interact with people who did not understand what I was trying to say. In spite of this, I continued to work hard at learning my new language and still managed to find many people who were willing to help once they saw I was trying. I studied English for two years at New York before I felt I was strong enough in the language to begin studying other things. At that point, I moved to North Carolina and began attending University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I am currently majoring in biology, always working toward my goal to become a dentist. Almost as soon as I was enrolled in my classes, I also became involved with the university’s chemistry and physics club where I have had the chance to be involved with many worthwhile activities and have developed a circle of friends who share my interests. I also became a member of the International Student Organization (ISO), which has provided a great deal of help in overcoming small issues that come up sometimes and help me to feel as if I am not alone when I begin to miss my home. The friends I have made here understand the conflicting elements of being homesick while also attempting to build a new home in a new land and have been a strong support system for me. In 2005, I was elected to be President of the university’s Health Career Club (H-CAP), which has helped me to further develop my leadership and organizational skills. Finally, I have also managed to find time within my activities to become team captain at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event from 2007-2009, reinforcing my beliefs that we should always try to work with the community in ways that help the community and the individuals who live in it. Through my student activities, I have managed to gain a great deal of experience and attend enlightening events that have furthered my dream of becoming a dentist. In 2007, I was able to attend several seminars that furthered my knowledge of chemistry, career planning and the importance of creativity in any given workplace. During the NC OPT-ED Alliance Day in September of 2007, I was given the opportunity to explore my talents, abilities and interests and confirm, as if I hadn’t already been relatively certain, that my future lay within the dental field. I learned new things in the field of chemistry during the American Chemical Society’s SERMACS conference in October 2007 and began to appreciate the symposium format in that I was able to attend workshops and lectures that brought the meaning of these discussions into more real-world contexts for me. In the various presentations I witnessed during the SNCURS conference in November 2007, I discovered how creativity plays a significant role in the life of many professionals regardless of their individual fields and it is this creative expression that both propels the science forward and enables the individual practitioner to maintain excellent service and growth in his industry. All this learning has been backed up with personal experience as well. In 2004 and 2006, I worked side by side with dentist Waleed Alsaidi for three months each summer. Through the summer of 2005, I spent my months away from school working in the medical lab under Dr. Majaniee at UNCP while also volunteering at the Cape Fear Hospital in Fayetteville. The summer of 2007 was spent researching a project on biodiesel, resulting in the authorship of “Production of Biodiesel from Vegetable Oil by Transesterification through Continuous Enzymatic Method.” With much of my undergraduate training completed, I spent last summer working with Dr. Muhammed Alsaidi at Ford Hospital. I have also remained very active in my community, always working to help senior citizens here at Pembroke and volunteering to work with children who have special needs. My long-term dedication to becoming a dentist and my thirst for finding the best ways to help patients will help me to become a great dentist I believe. I have already proven myself to be a good student and an active member of my community. I feel I would make a great addition to the dental school here at Pembroke and would love the opportunity to continue learning and growing with the community I have already become so well-integrated with. Pembroke has a wonderful dental program and is well-known in the area for producing dentists with the highest qualities and expertise in their field. It would be an honor and a privilege to be associated with this reputation and I would do my utmost to ensure it is upheld in me throughout my career. Read More