Spotlight Month: Meet Caleb Smith
By: Kennedy McCormick, Intern
We would like to recognize an individual who beat the odds that were set against him. Meet Caleb Smith, a future dental student at Howard University. He recently received his acceptance letter to Howard University Dental School. Caleb is 24, and is from a small city outside of Greenville N.C. He’s also a proud member of the LGBTQ community and wants to help change LGBTQ+ health disparities within the dental world. Dr. Alejandro Barrera, DDS, a queer dentistry practitioner in Houston, TX, wrote a blog post on dentistry and LGBTQ+ Health Equity. He stated that “in dentistry, LGBTQ+ patients are also affected in unique ways. Factors affecting LGBTQ+ access to dental care include things like discrimination, stigma, fear, and anxiety— but more significantly, it is the lack of LGBTQ+ education in dental schools that make it difficult for dental providers to treat these patients with the empathy and compassion they deserve.” According to a study done by Dr. Anubhuti Shukla, a general dentist, she shared “There is also a large discrepancy between patients and staff when it comes to believing dental clinics are a welcoming space for the LGBTQ+ community: Just over 40% of patients think these spaces are adequate but 80% of dental staff think they are.” I took some time out to interview Caleb Smith on how he plans to make a difference and his journey.”
Q: Hello! Can you please tell me a little about yourself Caleb?
A: Hello everyone, my name is Caleb Smith. I am 23 years old, from the small town of Robersonville, NC. I obtained my B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science from Campbell University in 2018. After my time at Campbell, I went to East Carolina University to complete pre-dental post-bac courses. Currently, I am an incoming D1 (first year student) at Howard University College of Dentistry.
Q: What has been one of your toughest battles on this journey?
A I encourage everyone to make your mental health a priority. One of my toughest battles in life has been “Imposter Syndrome”. Imposter syndrome is the difficulty to accept accomplishments and/or the belief that one’s success is not achievable. Even though imposter syndrome is not an actual mental illness condition, it can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety.
Q: Can you name some other obstacles you’ve had during your journey and how did you cope with them?
A: Letting go of perfectionism and celebrating my successes are ways that I have learned to deal with imposter syndrome. Aside from occasional self-doubt, I often faced the negative statistics of being African American and a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Building high self-esteem has allowed me to develop coping skills.
Q: What is some of your biggest accomplishment’s that you’re most proud of?
A: One of biggest accomplishments that I am most proud of was getting accepted into dental school; providing me with the opportunity to pursue my dreams of becoming a dentist. Maintaining good mental health on this journey improved my sense of serenity. Remember to do things that make you happy, and always believe in yourself despite how tough times get.
We hope this blog post shows that you can help change that statistic and go after your dreams. The world is yours. It was a pleasure interviewing Caleb Smith and Empower East wishes him nothing but success for his future endeavors.
References:
https://queerdoc.com/dentistry-and-lgbtq-health-equity/
https://www.deltadental.foundation/blog/evolving-lbtq-care
