I am a compassionate and highly dedicated young woman and a dentist trained in my native India. I have my heart set on becoming qualified to practice pediatric dentistry here in my new home, the USA. I am attracted to dentistry's art and science and I crave the intense fulfillment that accompanies this critically important service. Children are the only thing in life that I love as much as dentistry. And I firmly believe that what we most enjoy is what we do best. Therefore, I have been preparing myself for a long time to practice pediatric dentistry because it is here that my heart will be the most complete and where I can be of most excellent service to my community.
"I am not going to that doctor because he hurts my teeth," my little brother would always complain as my mother struggled to convince him that it was necessary to go to a dental doctor if he wanted the pain in his tooth to go away. Every time my brother faced another dental appointment, we lived through this same scene. My mother always did her best to prepare him mentally for the work and to cheer him up. For my part, I would always promise him that someday I would become a dentist and specialize in how to treat children to take away their pain. And while this did little to console him at the time, it served as great consolation to me: providing me with focus, direction, and determination and helping me to find the greatest of gifts, my calling.
As a result of this early inspiration, after completing my secondary studies, I enrolled at the M. R. Ambedkar Dental College in Karnataka, India, where I completed my degree in Dental Surgery along with a one-year internship, despite having to overcome a medical condition in my second year, due to which I had to repeat three subjects. My Preventive and Community Dentistry training was essential to my long-term career development. It was a profound privilege to attend a dental camp at an NGO dedicated to serving the oral health needs of children with cerebral palsy. One nine-year-old at this camp specifically requested that it be me who extracted his retained, deciduous tooth rather than my colleague who was assigned to do so - which brought me incalculable pleasure. Later, I joined a private dental clinic in my hometown, where I served as an assistant dentist. Our team managed two dental clinics, and I learned a great deal, especially about the oral health needs of underprivileged children. I enjoyed conducting yearly dental checkup camps serving children in a nearby residential school. After two years of profoundly fulfilling service to my community, I married. I accompanied my husband to the United States, where I now seek the necessary preparation to continue my life’s calling.
Shortly after my arrival, I began preparing for the National Board Examinations. And it has not been easy, as I became pregnant and had to deal with gestational diabetes and the challenges of delivering a premature baby. Yet, my spirit and determination to pursue a career in pediatric dentistry in America have not diminished; instead, they have been significantly fortified by the joy of being a mother and the maturity and wisdom that comes with parenthood. After my baby was strong enough, I began volunteering as a dental assistant and have learned many exciting new things of great importance: the complex world of insurance regulations, digital radiography, state-of-the-art restorative materials, etc. Now, I keenly look forward to giving my all to your distinguished program and living a long and highly fulfilling life in the practice of pediatric dentistry in America.