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Hey, y'all my name is Fardows Mohamed I am from Boise Idaho. I am a Junior at Boise State University. My interest in dentistry or the dental field, in general, was a unique Road and experience. Growing up as a child in Somalia, dentistry wasn't the most prioritized aspect of medicine when it came to oral care and routine preventive care. This was due to the lack of dentists in the greater parts of Somalia which at the time lacked many resources that ultimately made many areas mostly rural and underserved. Nevertheless, when my family arrived in the United States I had to receive treatments for 11 cavities, a root canal, and an abscessed tooth all at the age of thirteen. Being that young and having those kinds of interactions with dentists lead me to dislike the field of dentistry as a whole and associate it with this notion of pain. As I grew older, my visits to the dentist became less painful and more insightful in the sense that there was more great work being done on my teeth rather than just painful procedures. At that time I realized that if I were to be educated on good oral care and routine preventive care as a kid I would've not endured all the pain, to begin with, and from that realization, my love for dentistry came to fruition. So why am I interested in pursuing a profession in the health care field? Unfortunately, although the United States is a leading country in the health care field, many areas are often still rural and underserved when it comes to dentistry. For that reason and as an American I would like to work with communities in rural and especially underserved areas as a general dentist and an oral health advocate. If I can one day prevent even one person from going through the pain and fear that I went through as a child it would all be worth it.
A fun fact about me is that  through the boredom of quarantine, I taught myself how to play the piano, and I am surprisingly getting better at it every day.

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Hi guys! My name is Lauren Kouassi. I am from Livonia, Michigan (pretty close to Detroit) and I am currently attending University of Michigan.

In terms of my interest in dentistry, I have always been pushed in the direction of the health sciences, especially because I have an immigrant parent (lol). Medicine never felt right, but Dental seemed more approachable and interesting. The more research I did about dental the more it seemed like a good choice for me. I am not 100% sure what I would want to specialize in, but the Dentists that I’ve talked to each love their respective fields so I’m excited for my future no matter where I end up! I hope to bring some diversity into the dental profession and give back to people in need that look like me.

Some fun facts about me are that I am from two different ethnic groups in the Black diaspora. I’m half African-American and half Ivorian (the Ivory Coast/Côte d'Ivoire is in West Africa, people don’t usually know what it is when I say it lol).

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Hi friends! My name is Kylie Tanouye and I am from a small town named Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii!  I am currently attending Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon majoring in biology with a business administration minor.

My interest in dentistry started with my pediatric dentist, I loved what she did from the start and aspired to be just like her when I grew up. As time went on, I realized that I loved helping people and working within the community. My goal in life is to give back to the members of my Hilo community and bring a smile to everyones face (quite literally). I love working with kids, so I aspire to become a Pediatric Dentist and/or an Orthodontist.

Other than school and work, I am always chowing down on some kind of yummy food; the one food that I CAN’T live without is fish. I love spending time at the beach or going hiking, but also like to cuddle up on the couch and turn on something good to watch!

I am super excited to meet and get to know all of you!

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Hello hello! My name is Will and I'm originally from Jersey, but after moving around a lot as a kid, I now call the Seattle area home! I'm currently living in Covington, WA with my family and our favorite dog Stella :0). I am going into my junior year at New York University with a plan to major in Chemistry and minor in Animal Studies.

I am interested in dentistry thanks to my own pediatric dentist when I was growing up. My dentist showed me that he could still pursue his passions while having a career that he loved and often spoke to my family and I about some of the work he was doing outside of his career as a dentist. He would often travel to other communities to help with setting up dental clinics and to help educate the people there about oral health. Being somebody who wishes to one day give back to my own community, I felt inspired by his stories and now hope to follow in his footsteps by becoming a pediatric dentist and serving our future generations.

A few fun facts about me are that I am currently serving on the executive board of NYU's Alpha Tau chapter of Delta Epsilon Mu and that I have lived in all four major regions of the United States: the Northeast, the Midwest, South, and the West!

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Hellooo! My name is Bellicia, and I am from a small town in Montana. I currently attend Carroll College, and am majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. My first time realizing that I wanted to pursue a dental career was in 6th grade at my orthodontist appointment. From that moment, my number one goal and drive has been to excel in school in order to accomplish the dream of being an Orthodontist. A fun fact about me is that I live in a barn on my ranch! I also enjoy theatre a lot, and take part in my colleges program. I am so very excited to finally start SHPEP and meet all you amazing people!

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Hi fellow scholars! I currently live in Lynnwood, Washington. I was born in Pakistan and moved to the US three years ago. I will graduate with my associate's in science this summer, and will continue my undergrad at the University of Washington. I always wanted to go into the healthcare field, but I was confused between medicine and dentistry. The confusion ended once I started scribing for a physician and quickly realize medicine is not for me. I am interested in dentistry because it is a creative field that requires hands-on work where you can showcase your artistic side. I have not shadowed any dentist in person yet, but I am hoping to get some shadowing experience this summer. In my free time, I like to paint stuff, I usually work with acrylic and watercolors, but I have recently tried digital art, and I am liking it very much 😊. I hope to see you all soon and gain some amazing insights about dentistry!

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Hello everyone! My name is Hamse Igge, and I live in Washington State, specifically in South King County. Somalia is where I was born. I've been a dental assistant for four years and I'm currently a Dental Assistant. A little about myself and why I chose dentistry is that I never imagined I would end up in healthcare, especially dentistry, but when I graduated from Puget Sound Skills Center for my senior year in high school, I knew I wanted to be a part of this field. My teacher used to tell me all the time that hamse dentistry is only a good career choice if you like people and their teeth. Today, I am fascinated by human beings, particularly the patients with whom I interact on a daily basis. I volunteered for more than 6 months at Seamar Dental Clinic before being hired, and I am still employed there as a Dental Assistant 3 today. For those who are unaware, seamar is a non-profit organization with the majority of our patients coming from low-income communities and 90 percent of our patients coming from Latino and other communities of color. So, as an immigrant, I've enjoyed giving back to the communities that helped shape me into the person I am today, and that is why I want to support my communities. A fun fact about myself is that I am bilingual in English and Somali, and I have a basic understanding of Amharic, Arabic, and Spanish. I enjoy learning and assisting others, which is why I am looking forward to meeting all of you because one word that best describes dentistry is community.

Just a heads up. Even though I have some experience in dentistry, one thing I will say is that I can learn new things in a dental office tomorrow, so I don't consider myself an expert, but rather a learner and team player. Again, I can't wait to learn from each and every one of you because I believe this is the real dental office that I want to work in, and I'm very excited about it.

Cheers!!

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Hello amazing scholars! I am Neha (nay-ha) and I'm so excited to be working with my fellow dental peeps. I grew up in Lynnwood, WA but moved to San Francisco, CA for an AmeriCorps position two years ago. My family was always involved in healthcare so my interest only grew from there. I graduated from UWB in 2019 in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. I hope to reform dental public health and make dentistry more accessible to lower income communities. My future goals of dentistry include political healthcare reform to hopefully one day have universal healthcare. As a clinician, I hope to provide quality and affordable healthcare especially in CHCs. A fun fact about me is that I played the flute for 13 years and I have a beautiful pit/lab named Smokey.

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Hi everyone! My name is Jacie (pronounced like JC) and I am from Olympia Washington. I am currently attending Saint Martin’s University in Lacey WA. I have always had a love for dentistry, however when I was younger, my mom was diagnosed with a disability that lead us to lots of doctor and dentist appointments. Though tagging along as a kid, I got to begin to learn about how oral health can be connected to the rest of the body and I was hooked! I actually am currently studying to take my DAT at the end of August.
When I’m not at school, I am a Lifeguard and Swim instructor for my city. In my little free time I enjoy playing in band (I play trombone), kayaking, going to concerts, and traveling. I also love spending time with my family, friends, and my dogs! I can’t wait to get to know everyone, learn lots, and make some great memories this summer!

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Hi everyone! My name is Mariam Khoshi and I am from Detroit, Michigan. I was born in Iraq and I am Chaldean. I have been a dental assistant since I was 16 through a co-op program in highschool, and I have loved every minute of it. A fun fact about me is that I can speak Chaldean (neo-aramaic), and I am also learning to read and write Arabic! I am also a First-Generation student. I can’t wait to meet all of you and chat about dentistry together!!

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Hello everyone, I am from Auburn, WA but was born in Renton. I have always loved going to the dentist when I was younger and really loved shadowing when I was able too. Some fun facts about me is I love traveling and I am 100% Nigerian.( I forgot to add a picture on my other one and have no idea on how to delete it).

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Hello everyone, I am from Auburn, WA but was born in Renton. I have always loved going to the dentistry when I was younger and really loved shadowing when I was able too. Some fun facts about me is I love traveling and I also did running start!

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- I grew up in Moses Lake, WA but have lived in Seattle , WA for a long time. I have always been interested in health care and service to the underrepresented.
- I am the director of the UW SHPEP.
-I have 3 dogs0-Kenobi, Sola and Luna, and love the outdoors.
-I can't wait to meet all of you!