Fifty-six incoming dental students and 24 incoming dental hygiene students received their white coats on Aug. 22, as the UNMC College of Dentistry held the annual event at the student union building on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus.
Speaking to the incoming students, Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, said that the college is a family.
“You are a small class,” he said. “You’ll stay friends for life. So, make those friendships now, work with each other, because as a family, you work together. You’re not alone.”
See a photo album of the event.
Also, click the Play button below to watch a video from the UNMC College of Dentistry’s white coat ceremony.
He also spoke about the significance of the white coat. He told the students the white coat represents their commitment to assume the responsibilities of a dental professional.
“The white coat is a symbol of the professional role you are assuming as you become a health care provider,” Dr. Kugel said. “The white coat reminds you, at the beginning of your studies, that your responsibility and trust is with the patient.
“I remember when I first put my white coat on, the excitement I had. But I actually feel that excitement every time I see a patient with their trust in me. The white coat is a symbol. The reality is the white coat is your commitment to your patients, because that’s what it’s all about.”
As they sat in their assigned seats, waiting for the event to begin, incoming dental students Katie Tran, of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Carter Ulrich, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, discussed the excitement of the day.
Ulrich has two brothers who are dental students, one at UNMC.
“Seeing their love for dentistry helped me decide, ‘Wow, that’s a great opportunity that I also want to pursue,” he said.
Putting on the white coat for the first time will “symbolic of the hard work it took to get to into dental school,” Tran said. “It marks a new chapter over our lives.”
Lanyon Mlinek, an incoming dental student from Lincoln, said she has wanted to be a dentist since she was little.
“I’ve had some great role models at our dentist in town, and so it just was always fun going to the dentist and seeing what they do,” she said.
She added that she was excited to get her white coat – “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I got into dental school.”
Her father, UNMC College of Medicine alum Ed Mlinek, MD, said he couldn’t be more proud. “This is so exciting for me,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Alex Becker, of Lincoln, Nebraska, said his own dentist inspired him to explore dentistry.
“I’ve been going to him since I was younger,” he said. “I grew up across the street from him, and he inspired me to be a dentist through my shadowing and just different procedures I’ve watched him do over the years.”
Dad Scott and mom Amy were on hand to see Becker don his white coat.
“It feels like a culmination of a lot of work, but like a lot of work yet to come, and the excitement of getting that rolling,” Scott Becker said.
Speaking to the incoming students just before the white coats were handed out, Katie Asbjornson, DDS, president of the UNMC College of Dentistry Alumni Association, echoed the theme of support and family.
“Do not be afraid to lean on your classmates,” she told the students. “Ask for help when you need it, and trust that you belong here. You are joining not just a college but a vibrant, supportive community of dental professionals, people who are passionate about care service and excellence. And we, your alumni, are cheering you on every step of the way.”