He sat in the waiting room with his three kids as I came over to finish his intake file. When I asked for his address, he hesitated before telling me he didn’t have one. He and his children were living in a van. Along with everything else he was dealing with, a toothache had brought him there. He wasn’t asking for anything special. He just needed someone to help. That day, we were able to. And that moment is one of the reasons I am here. 

It took a career change and a return to school to get there. I had spent years in marketing and communications, and alongside that, photography grew from a hobby into a part-time career. But I reached a point where I wanted work that made a direct difference in people’s lives, not in campaigns or projects, but in the lives of the people I served.

A career in healthcare had never been far from my mind. When I was ready for a change, I enrolled at the University of Central Florida as a second-degree student in Biomedical Sciences. Through experience, I found my way to dentistry. 

My first shadowing experience was with a periodontist. I observed procedures like scaling and root planing and periodontal maintenance, and saw firsthand what advanced gum disease looks like when it goes untreated for years. Something clicked for me that day. I’ve always understood what a smile means to someone. It’s one of the first things people notice, and my smile has always been a source of pride and confidence for me. What drew me to dentistry was how it brings together the science, the precision, and the immediate visible impact on someone’s life. Seeing what it could restore in a patient made it clear. This was the field where I could give that to others. The following week, I joined UCF’s Pre-Dental Student Association and started shadowing across specialties: general practice, oral surgery, pediatrics, endodontics. I’ve also been volunteering with nonprofit dental organizations in Orlando, where people come in carrying real pain, waiting on extractions they can’t afford anywhere else. And what an experience it’s been. The gratitude you see is immediate, even before the anesthetic wears off. You see it in how they look at you, how they say thank you, how they walk out knowing someone finally helped.

I met the man in the waiting room while volunteering. And while he was treated, many never get the chance. These experiences taught me one thing: oral health should never be a privilege. It’s a necessity that too many people are forced to go without, and I want to be someone who helps change that. 

Working as a dental assistant has brought me closer to that, and I’ve seen firsthand how much oral health affects someone’s life. Recently, a young patient in his late twenties came to us after his former provider recommended full-mouth extractions following a serious accident and years of oral health neglect. What stayed with me was what he said at that first visit: ‘I want to smile finally. I haven’t been able to smile in pictures in years.’ Our dentist determined his remaining teeth could be saved with the right treatment. The look on his face after years of bad news was something I won’t forget.

As someone who spent years behind a camera, I understood exactly what he meant. A smile can reveal confidence, openness, and comfort in one’s own skin. When someone holds it back, you notice. Combined with everything I’d built professionally, these experiences shaped how I read people, earn their trust, and show up for them in moments that matter. 

Years in marketing and communications were rewarding, full of learning and growth, but what that career couldn’t give me was purpose, and I found it here. During a lecture, a doctor once asked: “If not dentistry, what would you do instead?” I already know my answer. My hope is to finish dental school, join a practice, and keep volunteering with organizations serving those who can’t afford care. Long-term, I want giving back to be part of how I practice. The man in the van got help that day. I want to make sure more people do. 

What I’d bring to this program isn’t just clinical exposure. It’s over a decade of professional experience that shaped how I communicate, work within a team, and show up under pressure. That perspective is something I carry into every patient interaction and every collaboration.

I’m ready for this next step. Not because the path was straightforward, but because everything it took to get here has prepared me for it.