Scholarship Winner is Father, Volunteer and Student Dentist
Steve Vassell
During his first two years at RSDM, Steven Vassell worked as a landscaper to support his wife and two children, volunteered at a soup kitchen and served as a deacon of his church.
Through it all, he managed to juggle the heavy academic load of dental school. “It’s difficult sometimes, but I try to make it work,’’ he confessed. “I try to find a way to balance things and focus on the day and not the week or the month.’’
He was grateful to receive the Theodore E. Bolden, DDS scholarship in November, which made things easier – and has also become a source of inspiration. “It helped me out in two ways. Obviously, it helped financially. But also, listening to the background of the individual who the scholarship is named for -- he was a Black American and one of the first deans of the school. It just showed me, this is an amazing country if you work hard.’’
As a child growing up poor in Jamaica, Vassell didn’t imagine himself pursuing a medical career. “Being from a family without much money, you might have certain ambitions but realistically, you probably won’t be able to reach them,’’ he said.
Still, his parents stressed the importance of helping others, even if you don’t have wealth. “You give what you have -- time, or strength to help elderly people with every day chores,’’ he explained. “It became ingrained in us and something my wife and I are ingraining in our children.’’
After graduating from Northern Caribbean University with hopes of becoming a microbiologist, Vassell worked as a dental hygienist to pay for his education and met Nicole McGrath, director of KinderSmile Foundation. With KinderSmile, he travelled overseas to help the underserved and was encouraged to consider dentistry. Despite the obstacles, he gave it a try. “I didn’t see how it would be possible, but my wife said, if that’s what you want, we’re doing to give it a shot.’’
Today, Vassell is well on the way to pursuing a career he loves. “Dentistry isn’t just about cleaning teeth. It’s about interacting with patients on a personal level. You develop a relationship with them where you almost become part of their family,’’ he declared.
Ultimately, he would like to found an organization that provides holistic medical care and other support for those who need it. Receiving a scholarship has provided extra incentive to give back. Said Vassell, “I feel like people who get scholarships are more willing to do that.’’
