{"id":128004,"date":"2025-12-16T11:16:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=128004"},"modified":"2025-12-16T11:16:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:16:31","slug":"alumni-spotlight-dental-hygienist-holly-kohout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/16\/alumni-spotlight-dental-hygienist-holly-kohout\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni spotlight: Dental hygienist Holly Kohout"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When Holly Kohout reflects on her time at the UNMC College of Dentistry, one word comes easily: community. A 2012 graduate of the dental hygiene program, Kohout says the close-knit environment and deeply invested faculty shaped both her confidence and her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved how the school felt so small. I wasn\u2019t just a number,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the teachers really cared for their students and wanted what was best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kohout grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where dentistry was already a part of daily life. Her father is a dentist, and she remembers being fascinated by his work from an early age. After graduation, she went back to Maryland, where she worked in her father\u2019s practice. But life soon pulled her west again. After she and her Nebraska-born husband decided to return to his home state, Kohout started working at Precision Dental in Crete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt took a little time, working part-time, staying home with my kids, but once I landed at this practice, I knew it was the right place,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are the best people; humble, supportive, the kind of team you feel lucky to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She credits UNMC with giving her a strong foundation that made the transition into practice feel natural. \u201cUNMC is top notch,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt like I had a really good base going into the real world. The clinical training and even the higher-level courses like pathology and anatomy gave me such a solid understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the clinic, Kohout is equally committed to serving her community. In addition to raising three children and cheering them on at games, she volunteers as a firefighter in her hometown of Friend, Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of an odd thing,\u201d she laughed, \u201cbut I\u2019ve always wanted to do something like military or firefighting. When we moved here, I just decided to go for it.\u201d She is currently completing Firefighter I certification and has served with her local department for nearly three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether she\u2019s supporting a patient in the dental chair or responding to a call with her department, Kohout says she\u2019s motivated by compassion, service and a desire to make health and health education accessible. Her advice to future hygienists and dental students is simple: \u201cYou\u2019re starting off at one of the best universities. Take advantage of everything you\u2019re learning, because it truly prepares you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Close-knit environment, deeply invested faculty shaped Kohout’s confidence and career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":128005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"34962,126595,53916,58925,46831,60227","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-unmc-community","department-college-of-dentistry","author_override-sarah-hankin-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"\nAlumni spotlight: Dental hygienist Holly Kohout<\/title>\n<meta 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