Hello. I'm Jennifer Onime an Undergraduate student at the Univeristy of Florida majoring in Biology  

My drive to pursue dentistry has always been my family. I have always wanted to make them proud; however, this desire multiplied on a family trip to Nigeria. This family trip to Nigeria not only connected me to my origins but made me understand why my parents work so hard every day to instill a tough and hard-working spirit into my siblings and me.  Everything in Nigeria felt so different to me, from the air to the plants and trees around me. My parent's hometown had very limited access to hospitals to even mention dental clinics. I asked my parents why this was the case, and my parents stated that oral hygiene is something people do not make a high priority. The only option for tooth pain was to pull it out. This is where I found my passion for dentistry, especially dental research. I began to research oral diseases and how they can be related to other illnesses like Alzheimer's, I truly found this information very intriguing. As soon as I got back from my trip, I began looking for potential research volunteer opportunities at the University of Florida’s Dental school that related to my interest. I stumbled upon my current research mentor and have been volunteering since January 2023. Volunteering has been an invigorating experience and I have enjoyed every minute of it.As a University Scholar,  I have had the opportunity to conduct my own research on periodontal disease specifically on how periodontal bacteria can later lead to several systemic inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerotic vascular, and diabetes mellitus. This opportunity will also allow me to inform the public and my family in Nigeria about the importance of oral hygiene, and in the near future provide adequate dental care to my hometown in Nigeria.