Hailey Carroll

Personal Statement

As a child, I always wanted to tag along with my mother when she would take my pets to the vet. I wanted to know why we were taking them there and what all they were doing to them. I still remember the look and feel of that animal hospital - small, yet bright, and full of the squeaky noise of the tiny birds chirping behind the check-in counter. I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian and take care of animals. However, one question continually crossed my mind, “Do my pets ever have their teeth cleaned like me?” I always went to the dentist for normal six-month cleanings and I wondered why my pets never had to go to the dentist like I did. That is what sparked my curiosity in dentistry.

As I went off to college, my interest in healthcare remained strong. I went home over Christmas break my sophomore year and had a six-month cleaning scheduled at the dentist. As I was called back into the exam room and was sitting in the chair, that’s when it hit me. I could be a dentist! I started thinking about other specialties of dentistry. They all seemed to have one thing in common – the positive impacts they have on patients physically and often emotionally, after treatment. I knew then that was what I felt called to do. I returned to school that Spring energized and excited to begin figuring out what my next steps should be. I reconnected with my childhood orthodontist and asked him if it would be possible for me to shadow him over the Summer. To my surprise, he offered me a job as his sterilization technician. I worked with him all Summer and had a blast! This experience affirmed that dentistry was truly the career I wanted to pursue.

In order to provide a better academic foundation for my dental school aspirations, I was faced with the difficult decision of having to transfer schools. This decision was further compounded by the fact that I was a women’s lacrosse student athlete. New city, new school, new team, new friends, and living on my own all presented a series of new challenges. As I have always done, I met these challenges head on and embraced them. As a student athlete, I am proud that I have successfully balanced athletics and academics. Both schools I have had the opportunity to attend have had rigorous courses and rigorous lacrosse schedules. I have worked very hard both on the field and in the classroom to be where I am today. Additionally, I was also involved with a number of extracurricular activities at my college including being a team representative for Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), TriBeta Biology Honors Society, and I was the Campus Ambassador for Morgan’s Message, a national student athlete mental health organization founded in memory of a Duke women’s lacrosse player. Playing collegiate lacrosse allowed me the opportunity to be part of a team and to grow my leadership abilities. Being a part of a team means you have to communicate well with others. As a team captain, I communicated with my team everyday. Dentistry works the same way. In every office I have had the opportunity to shadow, I feel as though they are one big team working together everyday to accomplish a common goal, which is to take care of and help as many patients as they can. 

My road to get here has taken me down several paths, but all of these experiences have helped me in becoming the well-rounded person I am today. I am a constant learner and I am eager to embark on my next path – dentistry. I have learned so many valuable lessons throughout this journey. The most important ones being, never give up on a dream, never be afraid to try something new, and never be scared to fail. As a future dentist, I hope to make my patients feel confident in their smiles and providing the best care I can to each and every patient I treat.

Contact Information

hailey.carroll@lmunet.edu

Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine Class of 2028

1705 St Mary St Knoxville, TN 37919