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Career |Mentoring Gabriela Lopes was working for a dental insurance company, thinking about pursuing a career in dentistry. When she approached her boss to ask for advice, “she sugested hygiene,” Ms. Lopes remembers. “She was my inspiration—a smart, savvy business woman—and I decided to take her advice. I got more information, started doing pre-requisite classes and balanced working and going to school full-time. I sold everything I had—car, furniture—and got help from my sister. It was tough, but it was an investment in my future.” Business savvy
Ms. Lopes knew a thing or two about investments. Before the insurance job and hygiene pursuit, she’d completed a degree in business administration in Brazil, something she feels enhances her clinical role today . “Dental hygiene is a business, so I use that knowledge,” she says. “Many dentists have minimal business skills, so they rely on hygienists to sell product and treatment.” Likewise, Ms. Lopes believes that hygienists have to cultivate passion for the job as a whole, not just the patient interaction. “I’m a people person, but it’s not just about people,” she explains. “You have to be passionate about dentistry, about dental hygiene, to appreciate what we do.” giving back For Ms. Lopes, the most important people in dental hygiene aren’t the ones you see in your operatory day after day—they’re the ones who don’t make it in. Volunteer work was a huge part of Ms. Lopes’ dental hygiene school experience. She was shocked by how few dental hygienists make good on their promises to continue to “give back” after graduation. She vowed to be different. “Coming from Brazil, a third-world country, my mom and dad lived well, but as a child, my dad came from a family of 11 and they had to share a liter of milk and a stick of bread between them,” she explains. “It’s important not to forget where you come from and to recognize the gifts you’ve been given.” Understandably, volunteering is a big part of Ms. Lopes’ life. Ideally, she would like to find a way to volunteer full-time, but until then, she works at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago and is going on a dental mission trip to Mexico later this year. Previously, she had volunteered with Illinois Masonic Hospital, treating handicapped patients and children with Down Syndrome as well as taking the time to educate parents and caregivers. “One patient was 18 years old, mentally challenged, came from a family with limited finances, and didn’t let anybody touch him. I made him my patient,” Ms. Lopes remembers. “I would volunteer on the day he regularly came in so that he and I could build a rapport. He allowed me to become the person that cares for him.” Of course, she knows that kind of investment isn’t for everyone. “If you can only do it twice a year, then do that. It sends a message,” she says. “It takes one person at a time, stepping up to make a difference. We can make a huge impact and it makes us feel good at the same time.” pick your passion While volunteering is the heartbeat of Ms. Lopes’ professional life, she encourages everyone to take the time to identify what it is they’re passionate about, and go for it. “My passion is having the freedom to live my life and not sweat the small stuff. Not everyone is going to be a great patient, and we need to all just accept that,” she says with a laugh. “Rather than get caught up in worries, we should focus on what it takes to make every day a great day.”
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