Dental Medicine grad realizes her
dream
by Cindy
Abole Public Relations
As a child, Cindy Nichols remembered walking the short route from her Walhalla kindergarten school to the town’s dental office on Main Street each day. It was part of her regular routine to spend time with her daddy, Alton J. Barnett, DMD, and accompany him home for lunch.
Growing up, she gradually spent more of her free time there cleaning up, organizing files and impression trays and sometimes seating waiting patients. It became an environment in which she felt relaxed and comfortable. “I wanted to help whenever the office staff needed it,” Nichols recalled.
With Dr. Cindy
Nichols are children, Nick and Nicole. Nichols will graduate today with
a doctorate in dental medicine degree from the College of Dental
Medicine.Almost 40 years later, she still remembers those moments and what drew her back to keep helping around her father’s practice.
It was a sweet memory that would leave a lasting impression.
Today, Nichols will receive her doctorate from the College of Dental Medicine. The awarding of her degree will cap a journey filled with courage, commitment and perseverance.
“Dentistry is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Nichols said. “I hope my story inspires others to make a plan and reach out towards their goals.”
But Nichols' journey towards a career in dentistry has not always been so fixed. In 1993, she earned her associate degree as a registered dental hygienist and worked for 12 years in her father’s general practice. During that time, she married and raised three children. Nichols' life seemed complete.
In reality, Nichols believed she could do more to contribute to others. Guided by her father’s confidence, and her mother, Elaine, and children’s encouragement, she returned to school to complete a bachelor’s degree in public health science at Clemson University in 2002. Next, she set her sights on dental school and met with MUSC Dental Medicine’s Tariq Javed, DMD, associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs, College of Dental Medicine.
“It’s rare to gain the interest of a talented, mature student who would consider a career in dentistry,” said Javed, referring to the time commitment and academic demands required by today’s dental students. “Ms. Nichols was the type of student who possessed a good attitude in anything she approached—always positive, always smiling.”
Her optimism paid off and she began dental school in June 2002. She credits her dental hygienist experiences and resolve for helping her transition to dental school course work. Within her first year, she adopted a scholar’s mentality: “I came to learn and my reward is to gain a great learning experience,” she said. Eventually, she was drawn to prosthodontics and embraced the challenges that went along with this dental specialty. “The mentality of prosthodontics is like solving a puzzle, she said. “One is always looking to find the piece with the best fit.”
In spring 2004, Nichols and fellow students were asked to participate as tutors in the College of Dental Medicine’s new teaching assistant program. Organized through the college’s Faculty Development Committee, the program was initiated to assist faculty and foster teaching experiences among dental students, while addressing the dental faculty shortage issues.
“It’s been wonderful to have Cindy in the classroom,” said Elizabeth Pilcher, DMD, associate professor of prosthodontics, who arranged for Nichols to start as a teaching assistant (TA) in her pre-clinical occlusion and fixed prosthodontics classes. “She’s a very good TA and has slowly developed an interest in academics as a result of her positive classroom experiences.”
In addition to her studies and teaching, she participated in the MUSC Summer Health Professionals Program. Her summer research study focused on oral/mouth cancer screenings. Nichols gave presentations of the study and was lauded with awards during MUSC Student Research Day, International American Association of Dental Research, South Carolina Dental Association and Hinman Student Research Symposium winning the most outstanding presentation in the clinical research category.
“Cindy understood the importance of a well-constructed study to accurately demonstrate whether or not something really worked, and to realize the limitations of that study,” wrote Susan Reed, DDS, DrPH, associate professor of stomatology, College of Dental Medicine and Nichols' research mentor. “She possesses a committed level of integrity that is so important today in research and university research settings.”
She was active in MUSC’s chapter of the American Student Dental Association, the American Association of Women Dentists, International Association for Dental Research, Delta Sigma Delta and as a member of Eta Sigma Gamma, a public health honor fraternity.
Despite her busy student role, Nichols demonstrated that she’s fully capable of juggling school and raising her children: Amber, 27; Nick, 24; and Nicole, 17. On May 7, she added her newest, most exciting role to date; that of grandmother following the birth of Ethan Keeling to Amber and Travis Hege, who live in Rock Hill.
“She’s my hero, my personal inspiration,” said Nicole, herself a Wando High School senior, who will be graduating June 2. “She’s helped each of us stay focused and kept driving us towards completing our educational goals. She’s stuck by each of us in so many situations and encouraged us to do our best no matter what. I definitely look up to my mother.”
Following graduation, Nichols will begin a three-year prosthodontics residency at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
“This is great,” said Barnett, Nichols' father, in a recent phone interview. “We’re all very excited for Cindy and proud of her many accomplishments.”
Friday, May 19, 2006
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