Dental Assistant Graduate Success Story: Danielle Young

By Kelvin Lee, Student Services Coordinator, Centura College Richmond 

A quiet, shy, and very soft-spoken individual, Ms. Danielle Young enrolled in the Dental Assistant program at the North Chesterfield campus in March 2017.  As a child, Danielle set her sights on pursuing a career in the dental field.  Her grandfather was a practicing dentist for many years, so she wanted nothing less than to live up to his legacy.

While enrolled in the program, Danielle flourished.  With a firm grasp on the curriculum and the hands-on training, she applied her knowledge in both the classrooms and in the labs.  Danielle was on the North Chesterfield campus’s Director’s List for academic achievement and was nominated (and chosen) for the Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society, all while maintaining a 3.92 grade point average.

Before our annual commencement ceremony in June, we held auditions to determine which students would serve as speakers at the ceremony.  Students were encouraged to write a motivating and uplifting speech about their success at Centura College.   I was quite surprised and excited when I realized that Danielle might be one of our speakers.  This modest graduate would later deliver a soul-stirring speech about humility, encouragement, and what hard work can accomplish.

Incidentally, Danielle was a referral from one of our medical assistant students who later went on to graduate and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  There is an old saying by an unknown author that suggests that if you believe in yourself, others will follow.

I’m proud to say that Danielle has been accepted into the School of Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she plans to continue her education.  She decided not to include this great news in her graduation speech, and while I was on stage, I wondered why she left it out.  It just goes to show the type of person that Danielle is.  As a student and as a graduate of the Dental Assistant program, she wanted to highlight the support that she received from the administrators and the advisers that she met while at Centura College rather than her own achievements.

Congratulations Ms. Young. We all wish you the best of luck in your future pursuits!