Orissa Nitibhon '19
Your Name: Orissa Nitibhon
Graduation Year: Class of 2019
Major: Biology (Music Minor)
Your Story: Hello!!! My name is Orissa Nitibhon and I am from Worthington, a small and diverse
town located in the southwest corner of Minnesota. As the only child of a single,
uneducated, Thai immigrant, I was presented with many different and unique
obstacles throughout my dental journey. Of course, since you are reading this, that
means that I have successfully overcome what is arguably the most difficult part of
dental school—getting accepted into one!
My initial interest in dentistry started in high school. Before I made the transition to
Gustavus, I wanted to decide what career I would pursue so that I would not waste
any time once I arrived. To make my decision, I considered a few different factors,
such as my skills (e.g. dexterity, artistic abilities), my interests (e.g. leadership,
working with people), and job outlook (so that I would be in a position where I
could contribute the most to society). Dentistry was a great balance of everything I
was looking for in a career!
Arriving at Gustavus, I had no shadowing hours or prior knowledge of dentistry. I
attended biannual cleanings since I was a child, but I have never had any cavities,
and so I do not, even to this day, know what it is like to get a filling or to have a tooth
extracted. However, I was able to quickly receive plenty of knowledge and
experience at the end of my first year through the Summer Medical and Dental
Education Program (see “Activities/Experiences” below).
After SMDEP, I did not have any significant dental experiences until January 2017,
when I did the January Interim Dental Career Exploration program.
Throughout that month of shadowing, I gained valuable knowledge from observing
how the dentists interacted with their patients and office staff. One memorable
moment from this experience was when I met with Dr. Eugene Keller, a retired oral
surgeon. My conversation with Dr. Keller did not necessarily increase my
commitment to dentistry (I was already locked-in), but it did make me think
differently about the profession as a whole. He emphasized the importance of
interpersonal and communication skills, stating that, “half of what we are doing [as
dentists] is interacting with others.”
From that moment on, instead of spending more time on shadowing dentists and
trying to find employment as a front office worker at a dental office, I sought
experiences that would help me develop my “soft” skills, which I believed would
make me stand out as an applicant and future dentist. For example, during my time
at Gustavus, I worked as a Resident Assistant, providing general care and interacting with elderly individuals and memory care patients. Immediately after graduating
from Gustavus, I worked as a Food Service Ambassador at a hospital, delivering
meal trays and interacting with those who were injured or ill. At the same time, I
was volunteering at a local meal center, serving free meals to the impoverished, and
a local food pantry, where I navigated crowded aisles, stocking shelves with
essential items meant for struggling individuals and families from my community.
These were the types of experiences that made me stand out as a dental school
applicant—not only did these opportunities help me develop my interpersonal skills
and gain the perspectives of different individuals, but they also gave me plenty of
unique stories to share during my interviews!
Top Five Activities/Experiences: (in no particular order)
1. Music at Gustavus: I was Principal Tuba of the Gustavus Wind Symphony
throughout my years at GAC, performed in Brass Choir, and started up the GAC Pep
Band. The course load of a pre-dental student is very science-heavy, and so it was
nice being involved in the performing arts at Gustavus, where I was able to relax, de-
stress, and utilize the right hemisphere of my brain!
2. Summer Medical and Dental Education Program at the University of
Nebraska Medical Center (renamed: Summer Health Professions Education
Program): This is a national, six-week academic enrichment program exclusively for
first- and second-year undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds
who are interested in a health care profession. Back in 2016, the 13 different sites
admitted an estimate total of 960 scholars from a pool of over 10,000 applicants.
Regardless of how committed you are toward a career in health care, I highly
recommend this program as it is a great opportunity to expose yourself to the field
and meet with other like-minded individuals from all across the country!
3. Working as a Tutor: As a Writing tutor, I enjoyed working with (and learning
from) students of all years, academic disciplines, and writing levels! My work as a
Human Anatomy & Physiology tutor was also fun, as I was challenged to help teach
students with different learning styles. Overall, I would definitely recommend any
tutoring opportunities at Gustavus, regardless of the subject. Teaching will certainly
be a valuable skill if you choose to become a future dental professional. Not only will
you be a “tooth fixer/remover,” but you will also be a community leader and
educator—teaching your patients how to maintain their oral health.
4. January Interim Dental Career Exploration program): This opportunity consisted of
shadowing at two general dentistry practices, an orthodontics office, and an oral and
maxillofacial surgery (OMS) office during January 2017. I was able to record a little
over 100 hours of shadowing throughout the month, which is what most dental
schools recommend for shadowing hours. Nice!
5. Volunteering at the Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato Hospital: Through
the Center for Career Development at Gustavus, I was able to secure a volunteer
opportunity at the MCHS-Mankato Hospital. Initially, I worked in the Emergency
Department, assisting the nursing staff with sanitizing rooms, patient
transportation, general cleaning of the waiting area, and very basic patient care. I
was later offered a Volunteer Ambassador position, where my main role was to train
new volunteers across the entire hospital campus.
Things to Consider (“Advice”):
1. Grades are not everything. It is very important to perform well academically in
order to demonstrate that you can handle the rigorous coursework of dental school.
However, a poor grade in a difficult course (or two—or three!) is not the end of your
dental dreams. Also, do not be deterred by difficult courses that you are interested
in or ones that you might benefit from in dental school (or as a dentist). There are
multiple factors considered when a dental school reviews your application and
“courseload” (difficulty of courses, as well as number of credits per semester) is one
of them. Do not sacrifice your mental health for your grades. If you are serious about
dentistry and are willing to put in the time and work, you will succeed.
2. Do not fear failure. After all, failure is just an opportunity to learn! As a second-
time dental school applicant, I have learned that the fear of failure is worse than
failing itself. When it became apparent that I was unsuccessful in receiving an
acceptance to a dental school during my first application cycle, I was
disappointed—naturally. Instead of focusing heavily on this setback however, I
started to plot my comeback. From my unsuccessful attempt to get into dental
school, I gained the experience, determination, and confidence that allowed me to
succeed on my second attempt. What I learned about the application process (and
this can be applied to other situations in life as well) is that I may not have control
over the outcome, but I do have control over my attitude. I think about it this
way—even if I could complete tasks with a success rate of 95%, that means that on a
day that I serve 20 patients, I will, on average, fail on one dental procedure. If I see
20 patients a day, work five days a week, and practice dentistry for 40 consecutive
years, then that means that I will have AT LEAST 10,400 “opportunities to learn”
throughout my dental career! When you encounter failure in your life, remain
positive and remind yourself: one step back, then two steps forward.
3. Work hard. You may meet other competitive applicants who have access to more
resources, more connections, and more support than you. Do not focus on what they
have that you do not. Focus on maintaining a strong work ethic and do not let
anyone work harder than you. Remember, “hard work beats talent when talent does
not work hard.”
Final Note- Take time to help those that are in need. This can be
as simple as holding the door for someone who is unable to, helping out a friend or
classmate who is not doing well academically, or acknowledging and offering aid to
someone who is visibly struggling. Even the smallest and simplest acts of kindness
are meaningful. From serving others, you will learn empathy and compassion—two
necessary qualities of all great health care professionals. During the last week, as I
have been completing this writing for my dental profile, I have read countless of
news articles about nurses and doctors, from all around the world, dying on the
frontlines while trying to save lives during the COVID-19 outbreak. I think about
them often. I think about their loved ones, their colleagues who are still working
around the clock, and their patients—not only the ones that they saved, but
especially those that they were unable to save. These women and men, who have
given up their lives to fulfill their life purpose of serving others, set the new
standard for future health care professionals. From observing the impact that these
individuals have on the lives of their patients and communities, I am inspired and
grateful. I am inspired to live a purposeful life and am grateful, because as a future
dentist, I will have at least 10,400 opportunities to make a positive difference in my
future community—and you can too, if you choose to. Regardless, I wish you the
best of luck on your journey, Gustie!!
Future Plans:
I have been accepted to the Doctor of Dental Medicine program at Midwestern
University - CDMI (Downers Grove, Illinois) and will be starting classes in
September 2020. After completion of the program, I hope to join a private dental
practice or start my own, if I am in the financial position to do so. My main career
goal is to provide accessible AND affordable oral care to all of my patients, with an
emphasis on providing care to those from underserved communities.
Updated 4/7/2020 HB