Dr. Glen Gequillana and his protégés
Research shows mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible choices. This is certainly true in dental schools, where students look for ways to expand their education beyond the classroom under the guidance of dentists established in their careers.
The Wisconsin Dental Association, Marquette University School of Dentistry and Pierre Fauchard Academy are grateful to the hundreds of dentists who have generously shared their time and professional insights with student-protégés during the Mentor Program’s first 23 years.
At the annual Mentor Program kick-off dinner in fall, dentist-mentors and their respective student-protégés are invited to attend two continuing education programs and a Marquette University men’s basketball game in an effort to help them stay in touch throughout the school year.
Mentors and protégés are also encouraged to go beyond the planned events and digital communications by sharing the ups and downs of their practice and school lives. Every effort is made to pair dentists and students who have mutual interests and expectations for their participation in the program. Then, the Mentor Program Committee crosses their fingers and hopes each person — students and dentists — maximizes the benefits of their mutual professional relationships.
Dr. Glen Gequillana (Milwaukee) has been mentoring dental students for several years now. “It’s my belief that we all have something to share and to guide these students throughout their journey, whether it be as a sounding board or to take them to task to graduate on time, but mostly for them to realize that the profession they have chosen is fraught with possibilities and success,” he said.
Two of his protégés gratefully acknowledge Dr. Gequillana’s service to the Mentor Program, saying their mentor relationship exceeds their expectations.
Tapas Patel, in his fourth year at MUSOD and one of Dr. Gequillana’s protégés stated, “I will be the first dentist in my family, so I do not have anybody at home who can mentor me regarding dentistry. Dr. Gequillana has been an extraordinary mentor to fill this void. His lively personality makes you feel welcome, while his mentor instincts drive you to become a better version of yourself. In addition to being readily available, he found time this past semester to help me through AEGD program applications. He opened my eyes to the possibilities after dental school by allowing me to shadow him during one of his surgeries at the hospital. Dr. Gequillana has been a vital component of my dental school journey and I cannot imagine what it would have been like without him.”
Payton Canchola, another of Dr. Gequillana’s protégés who is also a D4 at Marquette, says, “Being at a dental school a thousand miles away from home can be a daring and lonely experience. There are so many questions to be answered during this four-year journey. Luckily, I found a rock to lean on and bounce questions off of. The Mentor Program has been a great asset to my success and sanity in dental school and I do not say that light heartedly. My mentor has always been a call or text away. His support and guidance has kept me being a good clinician and on track for graduation. Furthermore, a friendship was built between my mentor and me. This friendship made asking questions that much easier and I was able to learn in a fun atmosphere, while improving my clinical skills. I would highly recommend the Mentor Program to a dental student and, hopefully, they get one (mentor) as great as mine.
As you gear up for the New Year during January — National Mentoring Month — please consider becoming a part of this great program. Every dentist has much to offer in terms of professional knowledge gained through the years, and there are many students who would welcome the guidance and support during their dental school education.
Never participated in the WDA-MUSOD-PFA Mentor Program before? Please don’t hesitate to contact one of the dentists on the committee (Dr. Angela Lueck [email protected], Dr. Cheska Avery-Stafford [email protected] or Dr. Ken Geiger [email protected]) with your questions.
Then, contact me ([email protected] or 414-755-4118) to begin your Mentor Program service in the coming 2018-19 school year.
Excerpts taken from:
National Mentoring Partnership website: http://www.mentoring.org
