Lasting Impressions | Fall 2014

12 © LASTING IMPRESSIONS As members of the class of 2014 begin the next step in their careers, the 125 students of the class of 2018 are ready for the next phase in their education. Jusemmy Arce, 24, is coming home. She graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in biology before starting a master’s program in biomedical science at Barry University. She knows several students in the College of Dental Medicine (CDM) who have praised the education they are receiving, and one of her best friends will be in her class. Arce’s interest in dentistry started early. She was enrolled in a dental assistant program in high school. As an undergraduate, she worked in dental offices and was able to shadow a dentist. “I am so excited,” she said. “This has been my dream forever. I am glad to finally be on the path to getting there.” Latoya Luke, 21, first learned about NSU from a guidance counselor while attending high school in Brooklyn. After three years at Barry University, she had enough credits to be accepted at NSU after completing her junior year. She has a strong interest in public health, and NSU’s emphasis on community outreach and service convinced her that the CDM is the right school for her. Medicine is a big part of Luke’s life story in her native Guyana. Her grandmother administered a hospital there and her mother was a nurse. But it was the plight of her two younger brothers that propelled her into dentistry, she said. “They never used to smile for pictures or be outgoing. When they finally got their braces, they completely changed. Now you can’t stop them from taking selfies, and they are not shy anymore because of having a positive dental experience,” she said. When Ashley Beck interviewed at the CDM, “it immediately felt like home. It gave me a glimpse that my relationships with the professors would be friendly, personable, and relatable,” she said. And then there was Florida’s climate. “I didn’t pick the school because of the warm weather, but it definitely is a plus,” said Beck, who graduated with a major in biochemistry from Eastern Univer- sity near Philadelphia. Like Arce, Beck was propelled into dentistry after shadowing her dentist, orthodontist, and an oral surgeon during her junior year of high school. “As soon as I started, I knew it was the field I would pursue,” said Beck, 22. While she likes the science that underpins the degree, “what attracts me the most is the relationships you build with your patient. Whatever career I was going into, I wanted it to be patient- oriented. I don’t want it to be about a patient coming to the office, getting work done, and then leaving.” u CDM’s Class of 2018 Takes Its Place By Mary Hladky Jusemmy Arce, who graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in biology, is a proud member of the CDM’s Class of 2018.