{"id":7240,"date":"2022-01-26T05:30:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T22:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/?p=7240"},"modified":"2022-04-21T01:49:21","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T18:49:21","slug":"foundation-for-the-future-acc-alumnis-journey-to-becoming-a-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/foundation-for-the-future-acc-alumnis-journey-to-becoming-a-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundation for the Future: ACC Alumni\u2019s Journey to Becoming a Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong><em>With humble beginnings at Austin Community College in 2012, alumni Eugenia Osbon expects to graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio\u2019s School of Dentistry with a doctorate within the next year &#8211; a leap of faith she took by leaving her hometown in Belarus. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Foundation for the Future: ACC Alumni\u2019s Journey to Becoming a Dentist\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MCLUbrdlT7M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Video and story by Angelica Ruzanova<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Edited by Pete Ramirez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing up in the affluent and historic town of Vitebsk, Belarus, which produced several of the world\u2019s greatest painters such as Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich, Eugenia Osbon\u2019s love for art prospered at an early age.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it wasn\u2019t until Osbon\u2019s time at Austin Community College that she discovered her true artistic outlet to be dentistry.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In ACC\u2019s dental hygiene program, Osbon found a love of studying health care which marked the beginning of a life-changing journey toward becoming a dentist.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I just came to the United States, I was wondering if I could continue my education or start something new,\u201d Osbon said. \u201cThere weren\u2019t many options for me as a recent immigrant [while] not working or making any money so ACC was actually a great option for me\u2026\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the start of her time at ACC, Osbon had an idea she might enjoy going into the medical field but was unsure what kind of medicine she wanted to pursue.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe class which actually turned me towards the medical field and especially dentistry was microbiology for health professions that I took at the Cedar Park campus,\u201d Osbon said. \u201cIt was amazing and really, really inspiring.\u201d&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Osbon could tell she was making the right choice and decided to push herself to aim for a more challenging goal.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c&#8230;I decided that I might as well just go and transfer to a university and get my doctorate instead of settling on two years of dental hygiene,\u201d Osbon said.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once her mind was set on this goal, Osbon became dedicated to her path, despite facing obstacles such as learning to speak English and navigating through limited financial means.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe language barrier made things very hard for me in the beginning because I decided to go into the medical field and my first class I took at ACC was anatomy,\u201d Osbon said. \u201cNot only was it hard for me to speak English, be present in lectures and try to write notes, but at the same time there were words that I\u2019ve never heard in my life and it was definitely challenging.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Osbon\u2019s struggles became learning experiences that have made her a better dental student. She recalled retaking the class again in order to maintain a high GPA and found the experience to be rewarding.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, Osbon joined student organizations which made her feel welcomed and connected to a supportive new community.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI joined the National Honor Society pretty much right away &#8211; Phi Beta Kappa, and it was a great thing for me because I realized that without any financial help or big means I could actually help others because I was in a community that was helping others,\u201d Osbon said.\u201cIt was one of the first things I did to give back to the people I met here who were really nice and welcoming.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Osbon said that soon she\u2019ll be able to do the same as a dentist caring for her future patients.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Osbon graduated from ACC with an associate&#8217;s degree in health science, she transferred to Texas State University where she started her pursuit of a bachelor\u2019s degree in microbiology and chemistry. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once Osbon received her bachelor\u2019s degree from Texas State University, she was soon after accepted into the highly competitive University of Texas at San Antonio\u2019s school of dentistry. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"592\" height=\"461\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2035.png\" alt=\"Eugenia Osbon stands infront of UTSA's dentistry lab.\" class=\"wp-image-7242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2035.png 592w, https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2035-300x234.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\" \/><figcaption>&#8220;A new foundation for oral healthcare and research,&#8221; reads an inscription on one of the offices the University of Texas at San Antonio&#8217;s School of Dentistry. Eugenia Osbon poses in front of it with a folder from the school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly a decade since her start at ACC, Osbon observed that her academic story was not so different from another classmate in her dental school.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI met another friend who went to ACC who graduated last year at the age of 40,\u201d Osbon said. \u201cWe both could have completed our demo degrees faster or slower, but ACC gives you the opportunity, tools, and community to do so at your own pace.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Osbon nears the end of her academic career, she is appreciative of her time at ACC where her dream of becoming a dentist first began.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cACC is a great beginning place,\u201d Osborn said. \u201cNo matter your age, financial level, background, it helps you to achieve your goals.\u201d&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[ACC] prepared me really well for Texas State level courses and some of my courses at ACC were just as hard,\u201d Osbon said. \u201cMy professors were just as knowledgeable and very welcoming, which is why ACC has a big spot in my heart.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2037.png\" alt=\"Eugenia Osbon and her friend Saima Khan smile as they lay in the grass between dental classes.\" class=\"wp-image-7243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2037.png 720w, https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2037-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/157\/2022\/01\/IMG_2037-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption>Saima Khan (left) and Eugenia Osbon (right) take a break in between classes at dental still in their scrubs outside of the University of Texas at San Antonio&#8217;s School of Dentistry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Osbon will be graduating with a doctorate in dental surgery from UTSA in May of 2023. The initial open door that ACC offered to Osbon, has altered the course of her career, her life, and will benefit future patients of the soon-to-be Dr.Osbon.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With humble beginnings at Austin Community College in 2012, alumni Eugenia Osbon expects to graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio\u2019s School of Dentistry with a doctorate within the next year &#8211; a leap of faith she took by leaving her hometown in Belarus. Video and story by Angelica Ruzanova Edited by Pete [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4103,"featured_media":7241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1127,12],"tags":[38,1252,100,1253,1256,1257,1249,1261,1250,1251,1254,1255,730,1258,1259,1262,1215,1260],"class_list":["post-7240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-news","tag-acc","tag-associates","tag-austin-community-college","tag-bachelors","tag-belarus","tag-cedar-park-campus","tag-dental-hygiene","tag-dental-surgery","tag-dentist","tag-dentistry","tag-doctorate","tag-eugenia-osbon","tag-international-students","tag-microbiology","tag-phi-beta-kappa","tag-school-of-dentistry","tag-texas-state-university","tag-the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}