UMSL's Pre-Dental Society

by Sinhareeb Al Oleiwi

Hello, my name is Sinhareeb Al Oleiwi and I am an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry and biotechnology with an emphasis in pre-dental. As a pre-dental student, I wanted to develop my communication, professional, and leadership skills, so I decided to be part of the UMSL Ambassador family.

Around that same time, I also wanted to further develop the specific skill set that related to the healthcare field and further my abilities that will aid me as a future health care provider; therefore I chose to join the Pre-Dental Society. It is very helpful for any pre-professional students to explore the field and get involved with a network of other students with similar goals and career paths. The Pre-Dental Society is one of the most active pre-health organizations on campus and part of the beautiful UMSL family.

Through this society, students like myself get involved in different activities,

such as volunteer opportunities and community service. We don’t benefit at the academic level, but we get to explore the dentistry profession and build friendships with the other members, which encourages personal and professional growth. By building close friendships with other students at UMSL who might possibly end up as classmates at same dental school or even as colleagues at the same dental clinic after graduation, we gain more than what’s advertised.

In general, it is very important for students to get involved in different activities to shape their college experience and prepare them to the outside world. Dental schools are getting more and more competitive every year; therefore, getting involved in different organizations on campus will give students more advantage because health careers require more than just book smarts. Since the system is in constant motion, it needs a person who is involved in the community and willing to help others.

The Pre-Dental Society does several community services and volunteer activities each month. Of the different activities, the most interesting was the one we did last month, which involved helping kids have a bright healthy smile. Over ten members of Pre-Dental Society volunteered at ‘Give Kids A Smile (GKAS),’ which is a nonprofit organization that provides quality dental services for under-served children. It is a two-day-a-week clinic which provides free dental services for kids under 14 years old.