I am a strong candidate for dental school and look forward to contributing to the diversity of your DDS program as a Sikh woman from India for whom the honor and celebration of culture are significant. Now twenty-four, I immigrated permanently to the US with my family at 16. Born in Punjab, India, I came from a country where 95% of the population is Hindu, while my family and I are part of the 3% of the people who are minority Sikhs. Thus, I am very well versed in what it means to be part of a minority group. I was born in 1992, eight years after the 1984 genocide of the Sikhs. Hearing stories from my grandparents and parents about how they survived, were discriminated against for decades, and were unable to advance academically and professionally was heartbreaking. Confused with Muslims, Sikhs are now increasingly targeted even here in America. Last week, for example, while leaving our Sikh Temple, my mom and my grandfather dressed in traditional Punjabi clothes; two young American boys, approximately 14 years old, yelled at us in violent tones, accusing us of being related to ISIS because of our traditional attire. This reinforces my determination to succeed here in America as a dentist and a Sikh woman, to serve as a role model to other Sikh young people and members of minority communities under attack.
While I see dentistry as both art and science, I have placed the most significant emphasis in my education on the scientific aspects of health care, earning my BS in Biology in May of 2014. In addition to being an outstanding student, however, I also hope to be selected for your competitive dental program because of my efforts as a volunteer, coupled with my lofty ideals and drive to contribute to the well-being of the underserved concerning health care. I have an extraordinary place in my heart for health education, and nothing gets me as excited as engaging, planning, and working for the betterment of underserved and unprivileged communities. Most notably, I have a particular interest in the advancement of the social status of women, a cause and concern that stems from my upbringing in India, where women are subjected to unjust, unequal treatment that often has a negative impact even on their physical health. This is frequently the case, for example, in rural areas of the country where women dentists are unavailable, and married women are prohibited from seeing a male dentist for ideological or cultural reasons, most of them religious. Thus, I see a thoroughgoing treatment of women's rights as an inherent part of our struggle to bring dental care to the underserved, especially in a highly patriarchal society like my own country of origin, India.
​My professional engagement with my community in paid positions has also been health care related. I have been working at the XXXX Medical Center as the Unit Receptionist on a Medical-Surgical Unit and have seen that by just a little kindness and gratitude to the new arrivals, you can have a tangible impact on a patient’s health. Another great highlight in my life that has strongly provided me with a solid foundation to excel in dental school is the Administrative Internship that I fulfilled at the XXXX Institute for Urban Health in Brooklyn, NY. Through my experiences working in health care, the principles of enjoyable time management and being a team player are embedded within.
My central intellectual and moral inspiration as someone who aspires to give her life to dentistry is founded in a unique way for me in the form of a historical figure named, Shri Ghaniyah Ji, who provided medical aid and selfless service to wounded soldiers without any discrimination; giving them water no matter if they were friend or foe, quenching the thirst of the dying and wounded soldiers in the early 1700's. His teachings taught me to embrace the lessons of selfless humanity, treating all equally, doing daily acts of kindness most fully without expectation of any reward, helping to make life as comfortable as possible for those who are hurt, in pain, and suffering. For me, this is my calling in dentistry.
DDS International Dentist Sikh Woman India