MLK Spotlight - Alejandro: Summer Dental Program

This post is part of the MLK Spotlight, a regular feature on our blog. The goal is to highlight MLK student (or staff) stories, experiences, and perspectives. Have something you'd like to share? Send an email to mlkdesk@umn.edu, or ask your adviser!

As part of the Summer Dental Program, students have the opportunity to do research and present their findings. Alejandro, along with is research partner, presented on Educating Low-Income Children on the Importance of Oral Health.

My name is Alejandro Cisneros. I am currently a rising junior at the University of Minnesota. Being in the College of Liberal Arts, and more specifically the Martin Luther King Jr. program, I have been presented with many opportunities to develop as a student. My major in psychology was chosen because I hope to learn more about myself so that I can grow as a person and learn more about my peers to help understand them. I have competed at the Big Ten Championships on the University of Minnesota's Swim and Dive team for two years.

I chose to apply for the Summer Dental Program because I have had the dream of becoming a dentist for over five years. This program offered a five-week exposure to the field of dentistry and opportunities to immerse myself in it.

Through the program we were educated about health disparities. Learning about the differences in care throughout Minnesota alone was very overwhelming. I also gained valuable experiences in the advanced simulation lab. Being able to pick up a hand piece and actually work in a mannequin's fake jaw was exhilarating. Using the actual tools helped inspire me to keep pursuing my goal.

If I were to give advice to anyone looking for programs like this or even this specific program, I would say to try. Initially, I was not going to sign up because I was worried that I wasn't going to meet some of the qualifications they were looking for. But even though I didn't meet all of the suggested qualifications, they still accepted me. After talking with other students in the program, I learned that there were many other students in my situation that felt they were not going to get accepted but ended up being admitted. You will not be accepted into something you do not try to apply for, so it does not hurt to try.