Tanner just started dental school this year and will graduate with the class of 2022. However, Tanner interviewed three years ago with the class of 2019, the current D4s that will graduate in May. He interviewed with the intent of taking more time to pursue his Ph.D. first before starting any dental school training. “When I interviewed, I was aware that I wouldn't be joining a class for a number of years,” explains Tanner. “Other programs are set up different, but UAB sticks with Ph.D. first!” If you are a D4 reading this, it must be hard to believe that you were accepted to UAB almost three years ago. Imagine getting accepted and waiting three years to even begin dental school!

Tanner is a very hard worker but he has not earned the title of Dr. just yet. He says “I will complete my remaining work for my dissertation during my dental school training and breaks!” It takes a lot of perseverance to be willing to sacrifice time away from family and friends in the pursuit of two very challenging degrees. Tanner is clearly very passionate about his work but also explains that maintaining a healthy life-work balance has been crucial to his success. “I am creative with my time,” says Tanner. “I come in early or work with my mice during lunch or after class. I rarely come in on weekends so I can spend time with my wife and kids! I try to make good use of my class time to get as much of the material down as I can, then I study in the evenings and early mornings. Just make sure to keep a healthy balance, it goes a long way toward maintaining productivity!”

Most dentists will agree that having good dental hygienists is a very important factor in establishing a successful dental practice. They see most of our patients more often than we do! Lisa says her favorite part about being a dental hygienist was the relationships she was able to form with her patients. “It was so rewarding knowing that every day I could make a positive impact on overall community health one person at a time,” explains Lisa. “There was not a day that went by that I didn’t feel like I had helped someone in some way and to me that is one of the most important goals to achieve in any health profession.”

Although Lisa loved being a dental hygienist, she realized she could do so much more to help her patients if she became a dentist. She recalls one specific patient who made a big influence on her decision to go to dental school; “I will never forget I had one patient who was so embarrassed to smile because she had never had her teeth cleaned. After her appointment, she starting crying and hugged me because she was so happy her teeth looked better. This moment really impacted me because I realized as a dentist I could do so much more for other patients like her. I realized I could not only improve oral hygiene and oral health but I could also help restore function and aesthetics to patients who needed it.”

All classes had a short summer break before diving back into school. Many students use this time to travel, spend time with family, and do their best to not think about school. Abbey says the most fun thing she did over her break was going to Santa Rosa Beach, FL with her parents and little sister. “I am from St. Louis, MO, so I don’t see my family often. My ideal vacation involves two things: 1) spending time with family and 2) reading uninterrupted on the beach for hours. I got to do a lot of both, so I was thrilled.”

As far as plans for after graduation, Abbey is applying for a residency in Pediatric Dentistry. “If I’m lucky, I’ll spend two years after graduation learning how to take care of kiddos!” Abbey clearly has a passion for working with kids and we wish her the best with her application process!

Finally, we asked Abbey if she had any pearls of wisdom to pass along to the new D1 class. “Be kind to one another,” explains Abbey. “Dental school demands so much of us, and there is no way that I could make it without my classmates. They always make me laugh and have shown me an incredible amount of grace over the last three years. Taking the time to care for a classmate never goes unnoticed.”

Great advice Abbey! If you have any more questions, Abbey and the rest of the D4 class are a great resource. Dental school is tough, but if we lean on each other, we are sure to get through it.   ​​

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

Of course, there isn’t much time to work part time as a nail technician in dental school. However, Morgan says she still finds time to do her own nails when she can. “I find it relaxing and I seriously feel restored having a pretty manicure.” When asked what other activities she likes to do in her spare time, Morgan says, “I also unwind by hanging out with my friends and planning fun things to do that do not revolve around studying and other school activities. It’s important for me to carve out my time wisely to do things that remind me I am a person and a friend and not just a dental student! I make “me-time” a priority as well. I don’t think I’d be as successful of a dental student if I didn’t.”

Well, I think it’s safe to say we all know who to contact if we ever want a free manicure! Have a great week everyone!

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

Painting has become a great stress reliever for Tanya. She says that her favorite part of painting is how relaxing it is. “Whenever I start a project, I put all my attention to it and that allows me to get my mind off school and all the stress associated with life,” says Tanya. “If I’m crafting alone, I tend to put my headphones on and listen to music. If someone joins me, I turn the evening into a social time!”

Not only are Tanya’s crafts beautiful to look at but they are useful too! Tanya says her favorite memory of making art is being able to use the items she has made. “I have two mugs that I’m constantly using for coffee or tea and whenever I use them, it brings back great memories of college and making them.”

It can be difficult to make time for fun things like arts and crafts in dental school but Tanya feels it is worth it to set aside time for stress relievers like painting. “I try to make time for arts and crafts whenever possible,” says Tanya. “Much of what I’ve done lately has been through painting canvases, because it’s easy to complete at home and I can always get a good stopping point. I try to divide my free time evenly between crafting, cooking/baking, working out, and studying. So if I use my time to bake, I try to bake something that I can decorate to get that ‘arts and crats’ feeling.”

​As we’ve said in the past, making time for activities outside of school is incredibly important for maintaining proper mental health. Dental school can be daunting and if we do not set aside time to do things that make us happy we may start to burn out very early in our studies. If you are interested in getting started with arts and crafts, Tanya says do it! “Dentistry allows us to add our own personal artistic style to our work so now is the time to master anything, and everything, related to art. Art allows us to pay closer attention to the small details and I think this is very important when it comes to all restorative procedures we do in this field.” As dentists, we are also artists, so don’t be afraid to bring out your artistic side!

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

​While no Birmingham native would deny the great food options we have here, it is always fun to try out the tastes and flavors of a new culture. When asked what Jordan’s favorite part of traveling is, he said “Definitely the food. The weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten was a fried scorpion in Beijing.” Not saying you have to try a scorpion any time soon, but it’s always a great idea to jump out of your comfort zone and try new foods you may not think you like.

Jordan has many great memories of trips with just his dad but he says his favorite memory of traveling was his study abroad trip to New Zealand and Australia. According to Jordan, “when you spend a couple of months in a country rather than a couple of days it changes everything.” Study abroad trips are becoming more and more popular for undergraduate students, especially for those who have a big interest in expanding their knowledge on an international level. Plus, it’s a great excuse to get out of the country and have a little fun!

Of course, joining the Navy is not for everyone but for Hillary, who had strong ties with the military through her family, it was a no-brainer. “Three out of my four grandparents were in the military, two in the Air Force and one in the Navy. My parents both grew up as military brats and have always thought highly of the military and the benefits it has still to this day provided for our family.” Hillary completed her undergraduate education at the University of Florida, which is where she first found out about the HPSP scholarship program. Her first step in learning more about the program was talking to a recruiter. She explained, “there was a very active dental/medical Navy recruiter in Gainesville, who I listened to a few times before I took serious thought to the idea.”
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With graduation looming near for the fourth years, I asked Hillary what she is most excited for after graduation. The day after graduation, Hillary will fly to Rhode Island for Officer Development School (ODS). She will be there for 5 weeks, at the end of which will be a graduation ceremony. “I think what I am most looking forward to in the short-term is this ceremony,” Hillary says. “I am really proud to be in this program and I think that on this day when I graduate as an official officer in the Navy, I am going to feel like I have put my life towards something bigger than I ever imagined.” Hillary has already been accepted into an AEGD residency program at Naval Station Norfolk next year which just happens to be the world’s largest naval base. It is safe to say that the Navy is giving Hillary plenty to be excited for when graduation comes.

​When asked about his favorite part of ASDA, Kai’s answer is clear; “Networking. The networking opportunities with ASDA are endless. When you go to a conference, you get to meet hundreds of other people from all over the country and learn about their dental school. It just makes the importance of organized dentistry that much clearer.”
 
Kai’s favorite memory of ASDA goes way back to his very first National Leadership conference. It was an experience Kai will cherish forever. The dental students there were overwhelmingly welcoming and eager to help him achieve his dream of getting into dental school. “I was surrounded by students and leaders that inspired me to be like them and to not give up on my dream. I’ll never forget that feeling.”

​Many of the students at UAB often wonder how Kai is able to balance schoolwork and being able to travel to all the ASDA conferences. His ability to go across the country for an entire week and still keep up his schoolwork baffles the mind of even the most avid procrastinator. For Kai, it’s all about staying ahead of schedule and keeping on top of things. “School always comes first,” says Kai. “At the end of the day ASDA is an extracurricular activity but it’s my passion so I’ve learned how to make it work.” Kai says it is also incredibly important to stay in contact with the faculty and request days off as far in advance as possible. “The faculty want you to attend events like this so they are often very supportive of me attending them.”
 
If you are interested in becoming more involved with ASDA at the national level like Kai, this is his advice for you: “Surround yourself with likeminded people and seek out mentorship. Don’t be afraid to reach out to district national leaders and express your interest in becoming more involved.” Clearly, ASDA has had an extremely large impact on Kai’s career in dentistry. So next time you get one of those emails asking if you want to attend a conference, consider giving it a try!

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

​Rick has been playing music for quite some time now and can play multiple instruments including the guitar and drums. He started playing piano during his junior year of college while living with his friend, Nick. “I was really inspired by Nick’s passion for the piano,” says Rick, “and I started learning how to play shortly after that.” Unfortunately, Nick passed away while Rick was in college but Rick was able to play an original song of Nick’s at his funeral.

Unlike most pianist who learn to play by reading music, Rick learns a new song by rote only. That is, he listens to the song and plays the notes he hears back on the piano. “I love finding new songs and even write a few of my own. I also dabble in mixing music.”
 
Rick recently performed in two acts in the school’s annual Variety Show which he says is one of his favorite memories of playing the piano. “My ultimate goal is to write a song for a movie; even if it’s a small movie no one’s heard of!” Rick hinted that something might already be in the works to make this goal a reality but he could not confirm anything right now.
 
Now the question everyone’s wondering about; how does Rick have time to play the piano during spring semester of D1 year, a notoriously difficult semester. “Unfortunately I have not gotten to play as much as I’d like this semester,” says Rick. “It’s been a while because of the crazy busy schedule we’ve had recently. I just try to play whenever I can and use it as a break from studying. I have a small piano in my apartment that I like to fiddle around on. I have to be careful though because I lose track of time easily and sometimes end up playing for hours.”
 
For those of you wanting to take on learning the piano, Rick’s advice is simply practice. “Just play a little bit every day and you will get better and better.” It is always great to see students like Rick making time for the things outside of school that make them happy. Hopefully, we will get to see him perform again at next year’s variety show as I am sure he will continue get better and better while he plays at home during his study breaks. Are you ready to learn how to play piano?

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021