Rachel Kayongo has been accepted to the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. The school has an acceptance rate of 6.7 % and was ranked #40 among dental schools in the U.S. according to the 2018 U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My full name is Rachel Nantumbwe Kayongo. I was born in Kampala, Uganda and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. at the age of four. I’m also the oldest of five children, a first generation U.S. college graduate and a soon-to-be first generation dentist.
Why did you go coast-to-coast to attend college at UMES?
I attended UMES on a volleyball scholarship and played on the team all four years. I was ready to experience life outside of Los Angeles in a completely new environment.
What was your major and concentration here at UMES?
I earned my Bachelor of Science in biology in May 2019 graduating summa cum laude.
What has added to your classroom experiences?
While I was at home during school breaks, I worked as a home health aide. Now during my gap year, I work as a client care coordinator for a private home care franchise and a coach for my former volleyball club.
On campus, I was the treasurer of the UMES Dental Association and treasurer of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
How did your interest in dental school evolve?
I really wanted to pursue a career in health care that would allow me to consistently work with my hands, develop long-term relationships, own a business and have a leadership role in a team environment.
Driven by my experiences as a patient, shadowing dentists of various specialties and my passion to serve areas suffering from health disparities, dentistry checked all of those boxes for me. Plus, nothing can beat boosting my patients confidence, putting a smile on their faces and alleviating their pain on a daily basis!
I’m now aware of the social impact patient relationships, affordable dental care and oral health awareness have on the world.
Where did you apply and how did University of Detroit Mercy stand out?
I applied to 13 dental schools: University of Southern California, University of Detroit Mercy, Tufts University, University of Buffalo, Touro University, University of Maryland, Howard University, Meharry Medical College, University of Louisville, Creighton University, Boston University, University of Missouri Kansas City and Virginia Commonwealth University.
I was accepted into Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and University of Louisville School of Dentistry.
University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry stood out to me because of their diverse patient pool. Serving a community with medically compromised patients who are in need of dental care will expose me to a variety of challenging cases at a very early point in my career. I was also fortunate enough to complete the UDM’s 2019 Summer Enrichment Program May through June. The program sparked my love for the Detroit community and desire to make a difference there.
What experiences at UMES have you had that helped you achieve this goal?
The UMES Department of Natural Sciences curriculum allowed me to have a broad set of options when it came to deciding what career path or kind of grad school to apply to. With the load of prerequisites I had to take for dental school, fortunately my late decision to apply was stress free in terms of classes simply because UMES required all of them.
My original plan was to graduate a semester early. My advisor, Dr. Jennifer Hearne, pushed me to take 18 credits a semester with challenging science courses to be a competitive applicant.
My student-athlete experience taught me countless lessons of discipline, time management and leadership. I’ll never forget juggling 18 credits during volleyball season and cramming for a biochemistry exam with my teammate after early morning weight room sessions.
My research with Dr. Mobolaji Okulate really impressed the admissions counselors at the schools where I interviewed. Considering dentistry is so hands on, the fact that I dissected mosquitoes was pretty impressive.
Lastly, moving from Los Angeles to Princess Anne opened my eyes to view health care from a different point of view. My exposure to a dental shortage area like the Eastern Shore has inspired my goal to practice in an underserved community post-graduation.
Who has inspired you along the way?
My former volleyball coach in Los Angeles, Morgan Wijay, has been my mentor since I was about 14 years old. She has always pushed me to be the best version of myself in every single aspect of my life.
My UMES advisor, Dr. Hearne, was there throughout this crazy journey of figuring out what career to pursue. I probably went to her office two to three times to change my career path. I’m sure she could sense my anxiety, but without any hesitation she was always ready to make a plan with me.
Dr. Michael Tilghman and Dr. Carrie Schwartz, orthodontists on the Eastern Shore, allowed me to shadow them between classes while I was attending UMES. They made their practice a classroom for me and I’m so thankful their staff welcomed me with open arms.
Lastly, my mother. She has instilled in me the work ethic and grind I have today. She is the reason why I am the woman I’ve become.
