On Tuesday, September 17th, TUSD students of color had the opportunity to take a trip down to Spear Education in Scottsdale, AZ. This was a MIND summit for students interested in pursuing dental careers later in life. MIND is an organization founded by pediatric dentist Dr. Laila Hishaw. It stands for Mentorships in Dentistry.
Student Nathalia Rodriguez chose to go because, “When I heard about it, I was like, this could be interesting, and I might want to be a dentist if I learn more about it. And it was also something I wanted to do just to get out of school.”
Students were set to arrive at the TUSD offices by 6:45 in order to get to Scottsdale by 9:30. They were welcomed with Panera, a free t-shirt, and a name tag. From 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM, students first learned basic dental anatomy, dental terminology, and how electronics are making their way into the dentistry world.
For the most exciting part of the day, each student got to create and place a crown on a mold of teeth; teens go to learn the behind-the-scenes process of crown cementation and how to give the tooth a clean finish. Lastly, students learned how to scan molds of teeth to create a 3D digital copy. After this, students had a 1-hour lunch.
During this lunch, an interview panel was held with multiple dentists and student dentists, open to any questions. One student asked if working as a dental assistant would be beneficial to a dental school application. Dr. Mills responded with, “…when we do our interviews, we look at that; it holds a lot of weight on your application if you have some experience. Because we know that you’ve worked in a dental field, and we know that you know what you’re getting into, rather than somebody who maybe has never been exposed to it. So we definitely look favorably on that.”
Another student asked if having dual majors would be valuable to a dental school application. Dr. Copeland answered with, “…it can be, as long as you keep your GPA up with those. If a double major is going to make your GPA suffer in any way, it’s not worth it. We’d rather see one major with a higher GPA.”
Following the panel, Dr. Hishaw recognized her staff and volunteers for their time and effort put into pulling off this event. A speech was then given on the importance and relevance of a white coat ceremony. Students spelled their names phonetically, lined up to receive their white coats, and then received a survey after for a surprise (a new ultrasonic toothbrush!). Last but not least, they ended the day off with a group photo!
Following the trip, junior Nathalia Rodriguez said, “It was very informational, and it was very fun to get out of school to learn something else different, and I’d never thought of being a dentist, but that actually made me think of being a dentist.” Students returned back to the TUSD offices around 4:00 PM.
This summit is meant to get students of color interested in and considering dentistry since they’re vastly underrepresented, especially in healthcare fields. More diversity in fields can provide comfort for patients and also serve as an inspiration to future generations to come. This is the first time I’ve met a black female dentist, and it sure was motivational!
