When I was six years old, I loved my dentist. A young doctor with big eyes and beautiful eyelashes. This childhood crush introduced me to my love for dentistry and constantly pushed me to work hard to become a dentist. Unfortunately, I could not get accepted to dental school on my first attempt. Instead, I was able to study to become a radiology technician at the Medical School of Esfahan, Iran. It was difficult to be unable to realize my dream of becoming a dentist and having to study another field. That made me feel hopeless about achieving my goal. Although radiology is a significant many strive for, it never replaced my love for becoming a dentist. After I graduated from radiology, I had to work for at least a year before the Iranian schooling system allowed me to apply for another field. While I was working as a radiologist, my father passed away. The pain and sorrow of losing him strengthened my resolve to become the most highly qualified professional possible.
Finally, I got accepted to dental school after working hard and studying harder. It was one of the best days of my life, and it became even better when I told my mom the good news. Although it was a great accomplishment, the school I was accepted to was private and cost a lot of money. My family was middle class, and my mom was diagnosed with cancer during this time; money was tight because of her expensive cancer treatments. Thus, I had to keep my job in the Cardiothoracic Hospital while attending dental school to pay my tuition. Unfortunately, my pain would continue since my mother passed away in my second year of dental school, leaving me to care for my younger brother. On top of working in the hospital and going to school, I managed my younger brother, six years younger than me. He was too young to understand the extent of all these problems, so I always tried to keep a lively household. I took a cooking and baking class to ensure our table was always full of home-cooked meals and nutritious dishes. I am a hard worker, and I never quit.
Despite the sadness, I persevered and threw myself into dentistry, giving my all and practicing dentistry in Iran for several years. Now 38 years old, I have lived in the USA for three years, making America my permanent home. I hope to resume my career in dentistry due to being selected for and completing your competitive DDS/DMD Program. Since coming to America in 2014, I have been studying for the American preliminary dental exams. I have also worked in a dental office in Los Angeles as a dental assistant to experience the atmosphere of dental offices in America. I have also continued to publish in my field. My dreams of dentistry have grown enormously. Dedicated to lifelong education, I look forward to continuing to study after earning my doctoral degree and learning about new specialties and treatment plans. I also look forward to providing a safe space for Iranian Americans and immigrants from Iran who prefer a Farsi-speaking dentist.
I eat, sleep, and breathe dentistry. I study painless dentistry, hypnotism, and sedation in my free time. I am most keen to assume the challenge of working with patients with special needs requiring additional consideration resulting from HIV, cardiovascular disease, hemophilia, etc. I look forward to working with people undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other cancer treatments. I miss the dental clinic I established back home in Iran and hope to open another dental clinic here in the US. I daydream of assuming leadership roles in dentistry in the future, starting up my multi-specialty clinic, where a variety of dentists with special training in various areas treat patients at the same location.
Successfully delegating responsibility would enable me to spend more time helping those in the greatest need by volunteering, such as in nursing homes. I am experienced in this area since I volunteered extensively in nursing homes while still a dentist in Iran. It would be an enormous honor to return to doing this here in the USA; nothing brings me greater joy.
I always strived to be the best at whatever I wanted to do, and I was always the best employee or student in my group of colleagues and a tasteful host. After completing dental school, I worked in a dental clinic until I could open my own office. I also continued my education, taking dental implants and cosmetic dentistry courses to further my skills and offer more to my patients.
I thank you for considering my application to your program.
International Dentist Program Personal Statement