Burundi, Africa 

    People say they understand the turmoil and impact war has on individuals until they experience it and discover the devastating lifelong effect. The 1994 Genocide and several genocides prior to that led to multiple of people fleeing from their original homes to neighboring countries seeking refuge. We were one of those families that fled from Burundi, Congo, and finally Tanzania. I grew up in a Tanzanian refugee camp without knowing how it felt living and growing in one’s own country due to the wars.

    My early years in Tanzania were marred by the agony of severe tooth decay, which began at the age of three. Despite enduring excruciating pain and lacking access to dental treatment, my tenacious pursuit of oral healthcare led me to a degree in dental hygiene at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry. Born into a family that had fled war and genocide in Congo, and being one of 12 siblings, spent my childhood in a refugee camp in Tanzania. The challenges of language diversity in the refugee camp exposed me to French, Swahili, Kirundi, and Kinyarwanda. My dental problems persisted throughout childhood, leading to numerous attempts to seek treatment, including a trip to a dental mission that ended in disappointment. My life took a significant turn when my family received an invitation to immigrate to the United States in 2007. The transition brought cultural and linguistic adjustments, with me initially mistaking Spanish for English due to their predominantly Hispanic neighbors. Despite language barriers, I embraced the challenge, gradually learning English in a designated language center and through an English tutor. Upon settling in the U.S., my dental visits became more frequent, but I found the approach lacking in preventive education. Determined to understand my own dental issues and make a difference, I set my sights on a career in dentistry. Excelling in honors classes, I graduated high school in 2017, later earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biology while playing soccer at Centenary College of Louisiana. Accepted to multiple dental hygiene schools, I chose Texas A&M School of Dentistry, drawn by the faculty's supportive and familial atmosphere. Throughout my academic journey, I treated patients at the A&M clinic and returned to Africa to volunteer at a dental clinic in Zambia. My experiences fueled my passion for public health dentistry, and upon graduation, I aspire to contribute to underserved communities globally, combining treatment and education to improve oral health. However, despite the obstacles along the road I will be returning to Burundi, the country that I was not able to grow up in due to ethnical genocide. I look forward to playing a part in bridging the gap of oral health in Burundi.