About Scholarship

Here is an essay submitted by our scholarship winner:

My name is Swathi Premkumar and I am a foreign trained dentist holding a Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from India. I also have an MBA with emphasis in Healthcare Management from Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, West Texas A& M University. I wish to pursue a career in Dental Healthcare and Management in the US and become a subject matter expert in the field of Dentistry. I believe that Dental Assistance Program at Greatwood School of Dental Assisting would help me get one step closer to achieving my dream. I aim to widen my horizon of knowledge and practical skills in the field on dentistry and enhance my dental network connections by utilizing the learning from this program. I am passionate to know more about the dental industry in the US and would like to set a strong foundation before applying to dental schools for my DDS degree.

I have worked as an Associate Dentist in India at a private practice and have been fortunate to do multiple internships with leading dental practices in Houston. I have cleared my National Board of Dental Exams (Part 1 and Part 2). I have also participated in several Dental Health camps in remote areas in India and have educated people regarding the importance of oral hygiene and provided necessary treatment based on their oral hygiene status. I am a volunteer at Houston Health Community Department and Colgate Bright Smiles.

I believe that Dental Assistance is a career that combines healthcare with the operational structure of the dental practices. I like to work in a fast-paced environment where I shall have the benefits of an office workplace and at the same time won’t be limited to a computer screen all day. The fast and short training schedule of the in 10 weeks to obtain an RDA license is another important highlight to choose the program. By being a dental assistant, I believe that I can develop my organizational, communication and listening skills that are needed for a healthcare worker and develop working knowledge of a dental practice. I like to know more about the patients’ health conditions and problems and be a part of their treatment. Being compassionate and helpful to the patients in pain and seeing them walk out of the clinic with a smile is a heartwarming and rewarding experience. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is an increase in requirements for Dental Assistants by the year of 2026 by over 25%. Hence, I believe that a being a Dental Assistant itself is worth the effort and can be an exciting career path in the growing health and oral hygiene field. This career path also offers a wide variety of professional advancement opportunities as well.

I understand the scholarships are awarded to a selected few based on academic performance and is expected to continue the same rigor throughout the program. I will make sure I stay committed to the program and ensure academic excellence during the rest of the program. I have a GPA of 3.78/4.0 for BDS and CGPA of 4.0/4.0 for MBA (Healthcare Management) program and will continue to put in same effort and rigor for this program as well.

Additionally, the program offered at Greatwood is at the practice itself, so that students get chance to see real life scenarios and get hands-on training. The highlight of the program is this onsite training with real experience and coaching that will be provided by the staff at Greatwood and rich experience of Dr. Jafferally. The facilities at the practice which were shown during the practice tour was equally exceptional.

I look forward to being part of the upcoming batch at Great wood and look forward to the learning experience.