Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work? If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert? 
• My mentor is Chris Chen, DDS. Dr. Chris Chen works for the Puente Hills Dental Group in Hacienda Heights, CA. He is one of two dentists apart of the group that perform regular exams and cleanings, orthodontics, root canals, etc. that are apart of general dentistry. Dr. Chris Chen has obtained degrees in biology and chemistry from University of California Irvine and doctorate degree at Columbia University School of Dental Medicine. He has been working under the title of doctor of dental surgery since 2005.
2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?
• When and where were you born?
• Can you tell me where your family comes from?
• What role did your parents play in your education?
• What were you like growing up, what were your focuses/aspirations/goals/dreams/morals/etc.?
• When did you know that the path to dentistry was the right path for you? 

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year? What has made it a positive experience for you? 
• What has worked well concerning my senior project has been me finding a good mentor. I feel I was very lucky to get a mentor that is willing to help me with my project and even with anything else that I may need.It has made it a positive experience being able to go in to an environment where I feel comfortable and encouraged to learn more about my senior topic (Dentistry). 
2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project? How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you? How might the senior team help? 
• I am finding it a bit difficult to really find a certain part of dentistry I would like to focus on. I want to be able to learn about and present something that other people would be interested in learning. I think I will be really doing more research to find a specific part of dentistry that really interests me and I would be able to teach people. Also, I'm having trouble thinking about things I would be doing for my Independent Components. Most of the difficulties I'm having I should probably figure out myself, so I'm not yet too sure what the senior team could do to help. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview? Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?
• The most important thing I learned from interviewing my mentor Dr. Chris Chen was that although Dentists generally have a bad aura, they are apart helping so many people change or improve their lives. What comes along with being a Dentist and being able to change someones life, is the chance to be able to be apart of their life in a more personal way. Through Dentistry you are able to make a difference in people's attitude about themselves or their appearance, but also allowed the chance to have them be apart of your life in return. One thing I would probably do differently would be to have my interviewee in a more controlled setting. When we performed the interview, I feel like it should have been in an office and maybe not out in front of other people. I think that difference would have made the interview a lot more personal. 
2. Did I get additional resources and contacts? What is the most useful? Why? 
• When I asked my mentor who he would recommend I speak to or what he would recommend I read, he didn't really have a specific answer. However, he did suggest that I speak to the two other dentists in the office that I mentor at to be able to get different views and ideas. One of the dentists is a pediatric dentist, which means she is a dentist with a specialization. I feel the pediatric dentist would be someone who I would be able to get great information from. 
3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?
• My interviewee is qualified to help me because he is a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and a dentist of the Puente Hills Dental group. As previously stated, he is also my mentor. 

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

Things I hope to accomplish through my senior project topic:

1. I would like to have a basic understanding of what the occupation of Dentistry is like (day to day routine, procedures, patient interactions, etc.).
2. I want to learn how to make a patient feel most comfortable and at ease when going to the dentist and how to communicate with patients who may be overly anxious or difficult. 
3. Hopefully, I will be able to gain knowledge (more than I already know) about proper oral hygiene. 

Blog 3 - First Interview Preperation

1) Who do you plan to interview? Why?

• For my first interview I plan to interview my mentor Dr. Chris Chen. I chose to interview him first because he is my mentor and I plan to ask him these questions in order to get some general answers about my topic. I knew Dr. Chris Chen before asking him to be my mentor because he has been my family's dentist for the past several years. I feel very comfortable in interviewing him and knowing he will provide me with honest and helpful answers.  

2) Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask. What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

• "In your personal opinion, what do you find to be the pros and cons about being a dentist?"
• "Through your many years of being a dentist, what is your method for calming down a scared or anxious patient and putting them at ease for an appointment, procedure, etc.?"

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.
• Dr. Chris Chen & Julia Gaytan 
• (626) 854-9530
• Puente Hills Dental Group
2. What qualifies this person as an expert in your topic of choice?
• Dr. Chris Chen has achieved a doctorate degree at Columbia University School of Dental Medicine in New York. Dr. Chen furthered his career in dentistry at the Center of Esthetic Dentistry. He is also an active participant in the community as members of both San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles Dental Societies. He has volunteered his services at local health fairs in Los Angeles and loves traveling with the NATMA (National America Taiwanese Medical Association) every summer to service those in need in other countries. 
3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours?
1. What is the best way for a dentist office to help make patients feel comfortable and at ease?
2. Do patients find that the cosmetic look of teeth is just as important as dental hygiene?
3. Why is it so important for a dentist to stay up to date on current medical research and advancements? 
4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
• The most important thing I gained from this experience is a new understanding of what it's like to not be the one in the dentist chair. In other words, I got a better understanding of how things work behind the desk and from the dentist's and dental assistant's point of view. I was able to see what happens when the dental team preps for a patient, how they communicate with each other, and how the patients personal information is handled and filed.
5. What is your senior project topic going to be? How did mentorship help you make your decision? Please explain. 
• My senior project topic is going to be on Dentistry. From seeing how things work at the reception desk to watching how a dentist treats the various patients, I plan to focus on the basic ins and outs of the dentist experience. Mentorship helped me make my decision because it helped me to realize that from the moment you walk into a dentist office everybody working plays an important role in the experience of caring for a patient and making them feel comfortable. 

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

1.  What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

• Fashion Design: This lesson helped me see how interesting a presentation can be when the presenter knows all of his material. The presenter was very knowledge able and showed passion when talking about his topic. 
• Field Dog Training: In this presentation I didn't really find myself attaining much of the material presented. I feel this is because the presenter did not seem enthusiastic about their topic. I was able to see what it felt like to have a presenter who didn't seem enthusiastic about their topic. It makes me want to make sure I present my topic in an appealing manner when I present next year. 
• Early Childhood Development: In this presentation I was also able to see what a good presenter looked like. The presenter was really engaging and enthusiastic about their topic and it made me interested in wanting to know more about the topic. I actually did walk out of that presentation with gained knowledge.

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

• The main thing I learned about senior project in the interviews was to pick a topic I will truly enjoy learning about. The seniors I spoke with stressed the importance of picking a topic that I am passionate about due to the mass amount of research that will have to be done. I also learned that senior project is all about time management. The seniors told me as long as deadlines are met and my work is thorough, senior project shouldn't be a real big problem.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

• Yoga: I have always been curious about yoga and have wanted to try it. I feel like learning about yoga would greatly benefit me especially because yoga is said to help with stress.
• Firefighting: This is something I never would have thought of doing if it wasn't for senior project. I feel that if I choose this to do my senior project on then I could find out if it is a career option I would like to pursue in the future.
• Makeup Artistry: I love makeup. I like applying makeup and learning about new techniques and products. This is something I would really be passionate about learning more about. 

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

• Yoga: What is the best way to get the most out of the yoga experience?
• Firefighting: What can a fire fighter do to make sure he/she is well prepared for a dangerous job?
• Makeup Artistry: What techniques and products can be used to get the most out of makeup application and achieve your desired look?

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

• Yoga: Ask a yoga instructor from a yoga class I could attend. 
• Firefighting; Los Angeles County Fire Department, finding a firefighter to be my mentor by joining the explorers program. 
• Makeup Artistry: Joining a makeup class held at my local community center and inquiring about being mentored by the makeup teacher after taking a few classes.