Lauren Briggs (Class of 2028) came to the UAB School of Dentistry with an interest in oral surgery. Since then, opportunities in service, leadership, specialty exploration and research have continued to broaden her view of where dentistry can take her. The Huntsville native and UAB Biomedical Sciences graduate shares how classmates, faculty and new experiences have shaped her path so far.
What stands out to you about your experience at UAB School of Dentistry so far?
What stands out to me about UAB School of Dentistry so far, in my experience, is the environment and the people that surround you. Both students and faculty are always in your corner. They're really rooting for you.
We as students support each other in a way that I think is really helpful throughout school. The faculty are always willing to help and always want you to succeed. That's something that, when I was coming in, really drew me here and has stood the test of time so far through my experience.
So, was there a moment when you might be starting to feel like the right place for you? And if so, what happened?
I would say UAB started to feel like the right place for me during my D1 year, our first year of dental school, I was able to go over my Christmas break and volunteer to assist and help out in the oral surgery clinic here at the school.
I'm interested in pursuing a career in oral surgery, and so being able to be up there, to see how the clinic is run and just learn so much from other students, from residents, from faculty was something where I really felt like I had kind of found my place here.
Tell us about an experience, opportunity, project or activity that has been especially meaningful to you.
I think an experience that was especially meaningful for me during dental school was having the opportunity to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic over spring break during both my first and second years.
We were able to provide dental care to people who didn't have access to it. I think dentistry gives us such a unique opportunity to serve through the knowledge we've learned here at the school. Being able to provide care for people who may not be able to get it in any other way was so meaningful for me and really had an impact on me.
What have you been involved in outside the classroom? And what has that experience meant to you?
I would say some of the things that I'm involved in outside of school that have been impactful to me are being an admissions ambassador here at the school and being able to guide students who are interviewing or potentially thinking about coming to the school. That's been really meaningful.
I know when I was coming through, learning how to apply, what really went into getting into dental school, choosing a dental school and going through the interview process was really daunting. So being able to help students with that, I think, has been something meaningful for me.
I also am involved in ADEA, which is the American Dental Education Association. We focus on making sure that people have all of the opportunities that dentistry as a field provides at their fingertips. So whether that's private practice, going through a residency, going into academia or going into research careers, it's about providing all of the routes that dentistry can take you.
As district commissioner for ADEA, I serve not only with the UAB chapter, but with chapters around the Southeast and in Puerto Rico. Being able to serve as the liaison between students and the greater organization has been something that's been really special to me and has definitely grown my leadership abilities, as well as made me into a better student overall.
What have you learned about yourself during dental school that you didn't know before?
I would say something that I've learned about myself throughout dental school is that I have a sense of perseverance that I didn't necessarily know I had before. Dental school can really be challenging at times. And just keeping in mind that you're going through it with people around you that care about you and want you to succeed.
Just seeing how we've all developed as we've come through our class, from first year to now being in our third year, has been something that's really special and has really pushed me to keep going.
Who's influenced your experience at UAB and how?
I would say the most influential people during my experience at UAB are my fellow classmates. We go through so much together from the first day of first year all the way through graduation.
Seeing not only how we've supported each other, but also the progression from first-year, students who really don't know much at all to now seeing my classmates in clinic, creating these complex treatment plans for their patients and developing into really skilled clinicians, has inspired me to keep going and get better.
It's just a really cool thing to see that we've learned so much during our time here at UAB.
Are you involved in research? If so, why?
I'm just now getting into research during my third year, but something that really sparked my interest in pursuing research is seeing some of the students in the classes above me really being able to pursue these questions and dive deeper into the why behind whatever they're researching.
It's about being able to look deeper into topics that we've maybe talked about in class or thought about with certain professors or seen in the clinical experience, and just really delving deeper into that and continuing to learn.
What advice would you give to someone considering dental school or exploring UAB?
I would say to students who are looking to apply to dental school and potentially looking at UAB to just look for a place that feels like home and go after that.
UAB felt like home to me, and that's something that really drew me to it. I think that it just really ignited my love for dentistry and made me want to continue getting better and continue pursuing my dream. And so, I would say just focus on finding that, and all the rest will fall into place.
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