Learning

I fell in love at the first sight of calligraphy.
I picked up my first nib a year ago and have not been able to stop writing since. I embraced my untrained, free-handed artistic ability but I began to notice the importance of details in creating a beautiful piece. After fine tuning the basic strokes, I delved deeper into complex styles and approached my craft from a number of directions. What used to be a feed of endless pages of imperfect letters are now representations of how devoted one must be to a craft, the dedication to constant study, and mastering a skill with patience. To me, that's what learning, whether it be new knowledge, a skill, a habit, is all about.

And it is quite funny, how my approach to art has brought me to the world of dentistry...

My interest in dentistry began when I embarked on a journey to Haiti, a place I call “home away from home”. This experience provided me an unique opportunity to connect with a diverse group of people and grow as a leader.
I spent most of my time in dental clinics where I watched patients fervently thank the dental team and leave the clinic happy, free of pain and agony.
On one memorable occasion, I witnessed a dentist comfort an visibly anxious child who was seeing a dentist for the first time. The dentist swiveled his chair closer, gently took her hand, and reassured that it would not be painful as she believed it to be. The compassionate dental care that the dentist provided allowed a successful treatment. From this experience, I realized empathy and compassion can be felt even in the face of language barriers through such actions. My interest in dentistry was reinforced when I shadowed dentists back home and experienced how a dental practice operates in its entirety. Both experiences revealed to me the intimate nature of the dentist-patient relationship and like calligraphy, dentistry is indeed a very tangible specialty.