40 Research Reflection by Nizhoni Dawn Porter

I am a half-Navajo student at the University of Utah as a Predental Health Society and Policy major with a minor in History. I hope to continue in dental school and learn more about what goes into dental research and explore that side of the dental industry. My goal is to help the Native American community through my clinical work and potentially through research. This opportunity has given me an edge in my application to dental school because it shows my research interest as well as allows me to see how research labs function, what goes into creating a research project, how to apply for research funding, learned to problem solve in a lab setting, how to work in a research lab, and has given me hands-on experience working in an animal research lab. This experience has helped me better understand being a researcher and given me the ability to understand other studies and papers to stay up to date on the most current research and give my patients the best care possible. This knowledge has helped me on my journey to providing quality care to others in the Native American community and, hopefully, in inspiring other Native students to continue their journey in education.