Chapter 3: Lessons In and Out of the Classroom
With another year under their belts, the four students we have been following since their first year in dental school in 2013—Nicole Goettemoeller, who hails from a rural dairy farm and won the prestigious Veler Scholarship during her first year; Hamza Dodo, the Cleveland Heights (by way of Nigeria) native who envisions working in the community when he graduates; Jordan Mayberry, who dreams of returning to his small-town roots in Barnesville, Ohio to join his family’s dental practice; and Chris Rhees, who recently added a second son to his growing family—reflect on what they are learning in school and life as they begin their third year at the College of Dentistry.
Nicole Goettemoeller
On dealing with stress last year: “I have definitely realized that the stress of dental school is something I need to deal with in productive ways, so I started running. I plan to run the Columbus Half Marathon.”
On friendship: “I am surprised how much the people you spend every day with—your classmates—really become your best friends and closest confidantes.”
On receiving the Veler Scholarship: “I think it constantly inspired me to do well in school. As school got harder, I used the scholarship as a reminder that I could get through it all.”
Hamza Dodo
On the challenges of his second year: “It’s easy to get lost in all the studying of the second year of dental school. Like, seriously—lost. Friends and family wonder where you’ve been. But it’s not a negative thing. You receive a wealth of knowledge that you take with you wherever you go.”
On what he’s looking forward to in his third year: “I always shadow my dentist back home, and one of the things I really enjoy is showing what I’ve learned. Now that we’re starting the third year, I know the expectations of me are going to be really high, so it will be fun and humbling to have a conversation about my first couple of fillings with someone who’s been doing it for years.”
Jordan Mayberry
On teamwork: “What has surprised me most about dental school overall is that the whole class works together as a unit. In undergrad it was everyone for themselves, trying to get the grades to get into graduate programs. In dental school we all help each other and look out for one another, working toward a common goal.”
On anticipating the upcoming year: “I’m looking forward to treating more patients in the clinic. We already started doing that over the summer term, and I enjoyed it very much.”
Chris Rhees
On specialties: “The nice thing about specialties is that I can choose to do aspects of each of them as much as I’d like in a general practice setting. I am planning to complete a one-year AEGD with the Air Force, which will expand my abilities as a general dentist.”
On the upcoming year: “Like most of my fellow classmates, I am most excited to finally see patients!”
On his new baby: “We welcomed Brayden into our family on May 28. Carson is 95 percent okay with being an older brother. The other 5 percent wants mom and dad all to himself.”