The most helpful piece of financial advice I have received is to have a "needs" and "wants" budget and savings plan. Spending is the biggest enemy when it comes to saving; establishing a budget and separating purchases between these two categories has helped me to cut down significantly on spending and increase my savings. The key is to think about an item before a purchase to decide if it is a "need" or a "want." A need would constitute groceries, household supplies, pet food, or gasoline. A want would constitute clothing items, eating out, a new pair of shoes, or a subscription service. By differentiating between truly needing an item or just wanting an item, I have learned how to make smarter purchases, and set aside a larger portion of money for savings rather than having high monthly spending ratios. This mindset also helps me to minimize my consumption of waste by buying items I truly need and will use, rather than an item I will use a handful of times that will take up space or end up being wasted and thrown away.

I was raised to believe that mental health struggles were a myth. All you had to do to get through a complex situation in life was to toughen up and make it through one struggle and onto the next. I did not fully understand how harmful this belief was until I began to have my own struggles with mental health that did not go away with being tough and faking a smile. During my junior year of college, my parents announced that they were getting a divorce. This announcement caught my siblings and me off guard; we always thought we had the perfect happy family and that everyone loved spending time together. This announcement sent my mental health into a downward spiral. Was my whole experience as a child a lie? If my parents hid their relationship struggles from us, what else was being kept from me? Do I have to choose sides? Who can I talk to about this situation that won't be biased? These questions consumed me, distracted me, and took up a majority of my headspace and I did not know how to control my thoughts or emotions. I had always been ambitious and goal-oriented, yet somehow, all of this news caused me to lose sight of my goals, and the effort and energy I was putting into my life and relationships on a daily basis dwindled. Just as I began to withdraw myself completely and close every door that I had once worked so hard to open, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and my life was put on a forced hold. At first, being stuck at home took a major hit to my mental health; the unknown was scary and I had no reason to get out of bed in the mornings and no tasks to complete. I would log into my zoom courses and resort to falling asleep rather than getting up to focus and learn. Soon after getting used to the pandemic life, I decided to turn something that I once saw as scary and confusing into something that would be the best thing that would ever happen in my life. I began to seek out therapy to talk through my childhood trauma and how this trauma was affecting the state of my mental health and my choices as an adult. While therapy was mentally draining and at times I would dread showing up for my next session, I knew that putting in the work on my mental health would pay off in the long run. Therapy helped me to learn more about myself, my coping mechanisms in the face of trauma, and how to break toxic cycles of self-doubt and insecurity that my brain once used to resort to. Processing my traumatic experiences not only healed my relationship with myself but also helped to heal my relationship with others. After many sessions of learning how to think introspectively and to better put myself in others' shoes, I was able to heal relationships with others that I had hurt in the past and strengthen relationships with those who are close to me. Once I no longer felt the need to hide behind a brave face and a fake smile, I was able to realize the importance of being vulnerable and honest, and how beneficial these qualities were to improving my mental health. Understanding my own struggles with mental health helped me to understand and sympathize with the struggles my parents were facing as they, too, were also going through a very intense and life-altering change. Healing and putting in the work on your mental health is not a one size fits all solution. I feel lucky that I was able to realize the ways in which I needed help to heal my trauma and that I was able to find the resources to help me. I realized that I was privileged to be able to find a solution for my mental health and privileged to be taught healthier coping mechanisms to deal with conflict and stress. My own struggles helped me to realize that mental health care should not be a privilege and that all individuals should have affordable and easy access to mental health care and solutions. In many ways, my struggles with mental health also helped me to sympathize with my patients in the dental field. It allowed me to become more understanding of patients with severe dental anxiety and learn how to treat them the way that they wanted and needed to be treated, rather than the way I would want to be treated. Becoming more self-aware of my actions allowed me to be more compassionate about the pain other people might be going through. I am so grateful for what I went through because I can truly see the difference it has made in my life, education, and interactions with others.

As a senior in high school, I was one of the lucky few that knew exactly where they wanted to be ten years after graduation. So, when assigned to write an essay and determine a personal mantra, it seemed only fitting that mine would pertain to making people smile. The simple phrase: “make someonesmile today,” was the mantra I chose to live my life by. To me, making someone smile is a simple yet fulfilling way to bring joy to someone’s life. Through kindness, laughter, or dental treatment, I want to spend my life making others smile. I am blessed to have grown up in a family passionate about dentistry. I have witnessed firsthand how much happiness excellent dental treatment can bring to someone’s life. I have grown to admire my grandfather’s love for serving as a dentist, and I am grateful for how he taught me to bring joy to others. In 2017, he invited me to attend my first dental mission project in Norge, Virginia, to determine if a career in dentistry was indeed my calling. I distinctly remember the complicated extraction on #30, restoration on #8, and how remarkable it was to learn firsthand from someone I admire immensely. Tears of pride and admiration flooded my eyes as our patient, who walked into our operatory in pain and with a self-conscious frown, walked out with a beaming, confident smile. I realized my passion for dentistrycame from helping patients be more confident in their smiles. Since then, I have wanted nothing morethan to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps by helping others find that same joy and giving all of my patients a reason to smile. I knew my first step in pursuing my dreams would be to enroll in Dental Hygiene school. As a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, my passion for dentistry has continued to grow each day, and my dream has remained constant: to continue my education in dentistry to better serve demographics with limited access to dental care. Being a dental hygiene student has prepared me for many clinical and academic challenges that dental school will bring my way, fueled by the desire to serve those who most need a reason to smile. Though I was one step closer to reaching my goals, my first year in the dental hygiene program did not come without its challenges. In early August, my parents announced their separation, and I became distraught, distracted, and struggled to bring joy not only to others but also to find joy for myself. Though my devotion to learning and my patients never faltered, my grades uncharacteristically slipped while I learned to cope with a rigorous academic journey as my world and family seemed to fall apart. Just as I began to regain my balance academically, my second semester of the program was interrupted by COVID-19, and life as I knew it seemed to crumble again in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I had learned from my shortcomings in my first semester. I learned to adapt and receive a much improved academic outcome, despite the lack of face-to-face interaction. During this period of struggle in my own life, I developed a deeper understanding of how impactful bringing joy to others could be. Making others happy helped pull me out of my darkest times. The reward of a smile from a friend or satisfied patient and the knowledge that I brought joy into their day assured me that I was providing care to the best of my ability. Being a Dental Hygienist has made me a more passionate and professional provider. Through the personal and academic challenges I have faced, I learned to overcome adversity and continue pursuing my goals, while still living by my mantra and bringing joy to my patients. I have learned many life lessons in a short time from my innermost struggles, my patients, and my clinical faculty. I believe these qualities will help me excel as a dental hygienist, and in the future, a dentist. Ten years from today, there is no question that my passion for the dental profession will still be growing daily. I am eager to join my family legacy in the dental profession and to be able to serve the community with my family as a professional and a colleague. Most of all, I am eager to continue my study of dentistry and continue learning to help others smile more confidently every day.

I have always wanted to be a part of the dental field. With a dentist for a grandfather, a dental hygienist for a mom, dental assistants and dental hygienists for aunts, and a lab technician for an uncle, I grew up in the dental profession, and I have wanted to be a part of it my entire life. I decided to get my bachelor's degree in dental hygiene to continue exposing myself to the dental field, hoping that these experiences and skills would make me a better dentist with a strong foundation for dental medicine and a solid clinical skillset. As a dental hygienist, I have grown in my clinical experiences, exposure to a diverse patient population, and I have strengthened my communication skills with patients and interprofessionally. I believe all of the skills I have acquired as a dental hygienist will benefit me as I continue my education. I have also had the privilege to shadow dentists in multiple areas of general practice, public health, and periodontal surgery. I have been so lucky to have the level of exposure to dentistry that I have had. I am eager to continue learning, expanding my career and scope of practice, and serving patients at a higher level. I plan to focus on general, implant, and cosmetic dentistry and I hope to use my dental skills for a great purpose such as volunteering and providing dental care in a public health setting to those who would otherwise not have access to dental care.

To me, generosity means living a life filled with authentic compassion, kindness, and joy. I strive to live with compassion for others, find happiness in life's simplicity, and share happiness with others. Generosity implies putting others first and giving your own time and energy to help someone else. While some may think that generosity implies large monetary contributions and donations, there are many other ways to live generously. In my role as a dental hygienist and as I continue my dental education, generosity also has implications in my work-life and professional career. Professionally, I am the type of clinician who wants my patients to feel that their needs and fears are important, that I am a provider who likes to listen and values their perspectives, and treats them with kindness. It takes time, energy, and emotion to listen to the concerns of another person, but making them feel heard and seen is the most rewarding aspect of living a generous life. Though I am already a clinician in the dental field, I want to do more for my patients and continue to minister to the dental health of the individuals in my community with my time. My professional goals and personal mission intersect in this aspect: how I strive to live my life is also how I strive to treat my patients. I want to advocate for oral health, use my skills to attend mission projects in my area and across the world, and ensure that my chair is a safe and comfortable space for all of my patients.

The technological advancements we have made as a country and all over the world have allowed for advances in healthcare that allow providers to administer the highest standard of ethical care to all of their patients on a daily basis. In the field of dentistry, digital health scans have made it easier to track changes or stability in a patient's oral health. Many digital scanners, such as CAD/CAM or Itero devices have features that allow dental health professionals to monitor gum recession, wear from occlusal forces, and changes in tooth structure and integrity. These scanners also have the ability to take photos of potentially harmful oral lesions to monitor throughout future appointments. One might ask why monitoring all of these conditions with a digital scanner is necessary. The construction of a three dimensional model of a patient's oral cavity is so important because it allows clinicians to explain oral health conditions, such as tooth decay, inflammation, or gum recession to a patient with a model that they can visibly see and understand. The presence of this technology in the dental office serves to build trust between a patient and the provider and builds a greater understanding around the importance of dental health and wellness. If a patient is able to truly understand what treatment is recommended and the reasoning behind their diagnosis, they are more likely to follow through with necessary treatment, and thus, place a greater sense of priority and importance on their dental health. I truly believe that these advances in technology will help me to build better relationships with my future patients throughout my dental career. It is inspiring to see the impact that a digital scan has for dental patients, and I am eager to see how technology continues to advance in dentistry and allows patients to achieve the highest level of comfort and trust during dental procedures.