Today's Inspired Latina Vol. IV
Today’s Inspired Young Latina is a series that aims to inspire young Latina women to follow their dreams. My short piece “La Pequeña Dentista Que Sí Pudo” (The Little Dentist Who Could) was written when I just graduated undergrad in 2022.
As reported by the Hispanic Dental Association, only 5.4% of practicing dentists in the United States are Hispanic (Otto, n.d.)
Although 77% of dental hygienists are White, only 10.7% of hygienists are Hispanic or Latino (Zippia, n.d.).
According to Alston et. al, discriminatory views of dental school administrators tend to view Hispanic/Latinx applicants as students who cannot succeed in professional or academic dental settings (2022, p.3).
Not only do I speak about my journey as an aspiring dentist, but also as the first one in my Hispanic family to go into higher ed.
My podcast Dentista Diaries focuses on my life as a dental student, but outside of the classroom aspect. It’s a chance for me to use my platform to share underrepresented stories and experiences to the dental community. I also like to vent about my experience as a first generation latina dental student and future dentist.
My other podcast Dental School Notes! Is more classroom and study oriented. Basically, I record myself reading study guides/ notes and explaining certain concepts in depth. I like to relisten to them as I go about my day. I’ll tune in when I’m going for walks or driving or even doing the laundry- just so that I don’t feel bad about not being ”productive” study-wise (I swear, I’m still a type B student lol). I try to make this as adhd digestible and friendly as possible but i always am willing to share these episodes with any dental or hygiene student!
My Podcasts
