"Since the age of 17, I knew that I wanted to be a dentist. I can remember several times where I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing to achieve my goal, but I was blessed to have a cousin to help me navigate through some of those murky times. In our culture, we always speak about needing a tribe in order to raise a child and I feel that the Up Next Initiative will be that tribe for so many upcoming professionals. During these past few months, I have thoroughly enjoyed talking to and working with my mentee. I see so much of myself in her. Her bubbly personality is infectious and it’s obvious that she really cares about helping people. Being a healthcare professional during the pandemic has been challenging, but seeing the pure joy my mentee emanates while job shadowing keeps reminding me of the hunger I had when I was her age. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks in our careers that we forget how much we prayed to be in this very position. Now that we are walking in our purpose, it's time to help the next generation. With that being said, I will definitely recommend this organization to other professionals and I hope to continue to be able to participate in the future." - Whitney Lyons-Thomas, DMD
