Hi there! You’ve stumbled upon my portfolio– welcome! ✧˖°
My name is Cynthia Seo and I’m currently in my last semester of the dental hygiene program at NYCCT. These past two years have been extremely challenging but very rewarding, as I’ve truly grown to love and understand the importance of oral health and how impactful a dental professional is to our community.
Growing up with a strict mom who was always on top of her kids’ well being, I had been taught a decent amount about oral health care since I was young. My mom was the type to make sure my sister and I brushed our teeth at least twice a day and even gave us Korean xylitol gum to chew after having lunch (of course, it wasn’t until I started studying dental hygiene that I knew about the benefits of xylitol and its relationship with oral health). It’s safe to say that my upbringing and my family’s teachings have shaped me to care a lot about my oral hygiene and health. In fact, my 95 year old grandma (who INSISTS on brushing her teeth for at least 5-10 minutes) still has all 30 of her teeth and I have never had a single cavity or restoration!Â
Being a second generation immigrant, I have always made it my ultimate goal to give back to my family, and I’ve realized that dental hygiene could make that happen! It would be a lie if I said the dental hygiene field has always been my passion. In fact, I didn’t know about the field or program until after I graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology. The one thing I knew was that I wanted to specialize in something that can give back to the community, while simultaneously being able to help my family as well.Â
Before stumbling upon the dental hygiene program at NYCCT, I had studied psychology and digital arts at Stony Brook University with no clear vision for a future in either fields. I knew I had wanted to do something more hands-on, but had no confidence in any field related associated with that. It wasn’t until I started working part time at a dental office as an assistant for a few months that the dentist there recommended that I study to become a dental hygienist. He saw that the dental field piqued my interest after I had told him that the assisting job was fun for me. That one little comment stuck with me until I finally decided to challenge myself and go for it. Almost five years later, I’m very happy to say that I have followed through with it and am now close to graduating!