‘Bridging the gap’ for aspiring dental students

Students at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry have formed BRIDGE, a new student organization that aims to guide others, from upperclassmen mentoring peers to engaging with prospective students to unite to build a more connected dental community.

“I wanted to be the person I needed when I was navigating the pre-dental journey,” shared Noah Manubay, a fourth-year dental student who is the president and co-founder of BRIDGE.

Standing for Building Relationships in Dentistry, Generating Experiences, the organization’s purpose is to promote the dental profession to students inside and outside of pre-dental organizations ranging from high school, community colleges, and universities, and provide learning and professional development opportunities.

In October, the student organization held BRIDGE the Gap, an opportunity for students to give back through mentorship.

College students from universities across Texas were welcomed to campus to experience a day in the life of a dental student. Participants enjoyed informative sessions, from portfolio building to direct mentoring. They also received hands-on experiences taking impressions and waxing, and current dental school students shared their respective paths to the field.

Kathryn Guan, a member of BRIDGE, is freshly treading that path as a first-year dental student.

“For those heading into professional school, the path can be overwhelming — a mix of excitement, anticipation, and confusion,” Guan said. “BRIDGE was created to be a guiding light through that maze, offering mentorship that empowers students. Indeed, mentorship is about people. It’s about how they make us feel, inspire us, and guide us.”

BRIDGE welcomed the South Texas Independent School District for Explore Dentistry in July. The pilot program exposed rising high school seniors interested in a career in dentistry. The event encouraged the students to consider entering the field of dentistry with helpful guidance from professionals in the field.

At the summer event, Dean John A. Valenza, DDS ’81, urged participants to let the mentor speakers be honest with them and to “let that honesty drive their own passion” for dentistry. He noted dentistry is “way more than teeth and gums; it’s about people.”