Page 20 - Dentistry Magazine 2022

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DENTISTRY 2022
Student life
Students fell in love with their careers—and one another—with a little help from the school. For the Love
OF DENTISTRY
We like to think all our community members share a love for dentistry that develops and grows throughout their time at the School of Dentistry. For some, that love spurs a shared connection that changes lives in more ways than one. Get to know a few of the couples, current and past, from the School of Dentistry.
STUDENT LIFE
Get to know current students, and see how they are making an impact in and outside the clinics.
A MATCH MADE AT MCNAMARA
For Emerson Gonyea, DDS ’23, and Jenna Gardner, MDT ’22, the School of Dentistry has been a key part of their love story. Now, it is a main character in their engagement story, too.
Gonyea and Gardner met on their first day of orientation in 2019 at McNamara Alumni Center. Gardner remembers the moment she saw Gonyea for the first time. “He
had on a suit and tie, carrying a back- pack,” she said. “He had a great smile.”
Gardner was struck by Gonyea’s friendliness and how he is kind to
everyone he meets. The next day,
“I wasn’t even thinking about orientation,” he said. “My goal was just to find her again.”
They became fast friends, and within a few months, they were dating. Though they pursued different degrees, their motivations for careers in oral health are similar. They both had their interest sparked by an oral health mentor.
For Gardner, it was her dentist: knowing she was interested in some kind of oral health career, he
recommended the dental therapy program. “Every day is different when you’re a
dental therapist,” she said. “I love that you get to have a bigger scope of
practice and have continuity of care with your patients.”
Gonyea, who was unsure of his career path and shadowed providers while
studying microbiology, decided to follow his sister-in-law’s pathway toward dentistry.