Name of the Cause you are supporting HOPE for Tomorrow USA

First and Last NameVictoria Tran


Submit your short story (no more than 250 words) of how your favorite charity or nonprofit has positively impacted your life and/or community.I have never been able to answer the dreaded question of, “What do you want to be in the future?” As my friends said they wanted to be a veterinarian or a surgeon because of their dog’s death or grandfather’s battle with lung cancer, I always said, “I don’t know.” I was still waiting for my traumatic experience, so that I can proudly say I wanted to become a dentist. But, it did not have to be a devastating event such as cancer or death. I just had to find the motivation to do something I enjoyed. When I began to volunteer for HOPE for Tomorrow, I finally understood what I wanted to be. From the countless hours of sorting and sterilizing different equipment, I began to quite enjoy the feeling of the warm freshly sterilized perio-kits and probes. On the actual clinic days, I was surrounded by warm-hearted professionals and I was able to observe multiple dentists perform extractions and cleanings. But, what caused me to truly understand what I wanted to be was seeing the jubilant smile on patients as they left. This caused an internal urge to evoke the same reaction on others and I started to believe the monetary aspect of dentistry does not compare to the emotional facet given from the profession. But, even more, I felt ready to conquer the obstacles within dentistry so I can satisfy this urge to put a gleaming white smile on my future patients.