A dentist from Sudan, I have long been in love with my vocation, even marrying a dentist while a student in dental school. He was a maxillofacial resident; my group's teaching assistant and he became an especially distinguished oral surgeon in Sudan. The marriage lasted several years, and I will always be grateful for our time together. It made the immersion experience possible, reinforcing my learning in dental school and providing an excellent foundation in my field.
Now an American citizen because of my second marriage to an American of Sudanese origin in 2013, I am the mother of five beautiful American children, a stepson, age 13, our triplets, two boys, and a girl who is now four, along with my youngest daughter, who is two. As a mother and a dentist, I set my sights on the long-term goal of becoming a distinguished pediatric dentist practicing in the USA, dedicating as much of my time as possible to the oral health care of children from underserved families and communities. My husband is a highly devoted father and an excellent caregiver. This is a central aspiration for both of us. I now return to giving my all to dentistry, mastering my profession again here in America and learning to practice dentistry on the worldwide innovative. I look forward to contributing to the diversity of your program as an African woman fluent in Arabic and English.
Even though my family had long urged me toward medicine, by high school, my mind was made up and focused on dentistry as my calling in life, mainly because of the way that working with my hands had always been central to my life because of my deep passion for art. Sudan has been politically unstable for a long time. When I enrolled in our best dental school, we often worked in the clinic without electricity, doing what we could with foul-smelling gasoline generators and air compressors. We persevered with what we had, and I especially enjoyed being the founder of a student association that made mission trips to refugee camps in Darfur. The oral health care need in these camps was overwhelming, but we did all we could, working out of our most humble “mobile clinic.”
Many of the cases I helped to treat while a dental student stuck in my mind and heart, like the young woman with a tumor in her lower jaw, almost half the size of her head. I assisted the surgeon with removing her mandible and using one of her ribs for reconstruction. I stayed in touch with her and shall never forget her smile when she told me she was engaged. After graduating near the top of my class and finishing my one-year internship, I spent another year as a house officer dealing with many cases and gaining experience with various oral health challenges. By this time, my family was living in Saudi Arabia. I decided to join them and soon began working as a dentist alongside competent Arab dentists of a variety of nationalities, from which I would go on to learn a great deal over the next few years, not only technical aspects ranging from the diagnosis of oral pathology to complicated extractions but also how to manage uncooperative pediatric patients, an area in which I have invested considerable energy. I also volunteered in Saudi Arabia with the World Assembly of Youth’s Women’s Medical Committee, which is dedicated to helping low-income families. Since dental technology is more advanced in Saudi Arabia than in Sudan, I relished learning all I could in this unique environment.
I am grateful for the experience of working in a big hospital for ARAMCO, interacting with people from all over the world: South Africa, Malaysia, Japan, Europe, Canada, Venezuela, Korea, and America. In 2011, the University of Khartoum became accredited by the Royal College Faculty of Dentistry in Ireland to hold its Fellowship Diploma Exam (MFD) in Sudan. I returned to take advantage of this opportunity and subsequently registered with the Irish Dental Council. In 2012, however, I met my American husband in Sudan. My family returned from Saudi Arabia. I soon became pregnant with triplets waiting for my visa to come to America. After the four of us came to America in 2016, it was challenging, but I relaxed and stayed fit through yoga and meditation, which has helped me prepare for the resumption of my career here in the USA.
In my current position with XXXX Dental, I assist a general dentist with various dental procedures. After completing your program and earning my DDS/DMD, I look forward to gaining additional experience in Pediatric Dentistry, especially Esthetics. As my career progresses, I hope to return to Sudan to teach Pediatric Dentistry and help organize dental camps geared primarily toward children.
Thank you for considering my application.
Sudanese International Dentist Mother of 5 Americans
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