I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene in 2008. I chose dental hygiene because I enjoy helping people to live healthier lives. Since graduating from dental hygiene school, I have had opportunities to work with various dental offices with different specialties. As a student and later as a dental hygienist, I always enjoyed the educational aspect of oral hygiene care. I was always passionate about teaching and helping my patients to improve their oral hygiene and become healthier. In 2017 I started to work at Howard Community College as a clinical instructor. Soon after that, I received an offer to teach didactic courses such as Radiology and Periodontics in the same college. I love teaching students and helping them to become professional hygienists. Seeing my students succeed is very rewarding. Therefore, I decided to further my education and expand my teaching knowledge to become more equipped to assist my students reach their educational goals. Currently, I am enrolled in the Master of Dental Hygiene program at Old Dominion University. I aim to learn more about teaching, academic success, community health, and research.

 My primary purpose in academia is to combine my educational and clinical experiences to provide my dental hygiene students with a high-quality education. My future goal is to become a full-time dental hygienist faculty member in a higher education institution. After becoming a full-time faculty member, I would like to apply for a grant and initiate research in the dental hygiene clinic regarding the effect of different irrigation solutions post nonsurgical periodontal therapy. This topic interested me when I started teaching periodontics to dental hygiene students. My long-term goal is to pursue my education and receive a Ph.D. in Community Health and Prevention. In addition, I would like to design a plan for more dental care outreach in underserved populations. I am determined to reach my goals and willing to learn and work hard to succeed.