Dentistry doesn’t have to be competitive or represented in a way that rips away the

artistic and vulnerable elements that make us human. Healthcare is about empathy, community,

feeling, and care for patients. There is a need for dental professionals to advocate and volunteer

for oral health to reduce the significant barriers in dentistry. Dental care access, particularly for

low-income children and older adults, highlights that over half of the population does not visit

the dentist annually due to systemic barriers (Marsh L. A., 2012). Dental professionals can unite

and offer solutions to the public health crisis by building community within these institutions and

creating healthy relationships. I often question, “How can one study and represent these

attributes if they don’t practice these qualities themselves?” A strong motivation toward

activities that individuals find important is stimulated by passion, and there is a need for more

research to uncover the factors that stimulate passion (Murnieks, C. Y ., Mosakowski, E., &

Cardon, M. S., 2014).

Healthcare has a high burnout rate and lacks community within its work environments,

especially when we observe women in healthcare. Creating this meeting for me invited a sense of

ease, and I hope it did the same for the rest of my classmates. I have learned that we can all

create space for each other and that humans need each other, especially in a professional work

environment. I have created this project for my classmates and integrated other skills I have used

in the work field after graduation. I am most proud of my success in the dental hygiene program, participating in volunteer

work, and having accomplished such rigorous coursework. I stayed true to my identity as a

vulnerable student, a woman who, every day, walked into class willing to learn from my

professors and classmates with a smile and stayed positive no matter the hard times. There is the

discovery of self through different experiences we encounter throughout our lives, including

those we encounter. As Selkrig discusses, formal learning is structured; there is broader and more

valuable experience through one's learning experiences throughout one’s entire personal life

(Selkrig, M., 2011).

I feel most proud of breaking barriers of fear and dismantling old thought

patterns of women having to compete with one another. Without such a positive attitude and

creative approach toward my classmates, I wouldn’t have gotten this far and wouldn’t change it

for the world. The experience of this gathering was very much what I expected at the moment,

and I learned that I love empowering others. This experience proved my theory that small acts of

kindness and vulnerability build community and unite people.

This creation will always influence how I approach future projects because I value

community and building relationships. I have grown so much from my dental program because I

have learned from classmates and continue learning from others in dentistry. Not only was this

organized meet and greet a way of building community, but it was also a way to show others how

to approach an intimidating environment. I hope the women in my class take this to their dental

offices or use it as a community-building tool in their work encounters. I would love for people

to look at my work and feel inspired. I want people to feel motivated to take on leadership

humbly and creatively while inviting safe spaces for others to feel heard and seen.