Change of Perspective Leads SCC Alumni to Dentistry

Published: 10/28/2020

Ali Farhadi was hesitant to pay for a four-year education after graduating from Francis Howell North High School. He admits he had never really prioritized academics when he was younger. However, things changed his senior year when he decided he wanted to become a doctor.

“My parents had worked so hard to get me to where I was in life,” Farhadi explained. “I wanted to pay them back for all of their hard work by saving our family money where we could.” That’s when Farhadi enrolled at St. Charles Community College.

Ali Farhadi on SCC Campus - 2018

In the beginning, he was “absolutely riddled with fear, anxiety and stress.” He just didn’t know how well he would succeed in college, but he soon became passionate about his academic success while at SCC. “I developed a sense of competitiveness in trying to be the top student in each and all of my classes,” he said.

His hard work paid off, landing him the SCC Chemistry Student of the Year Award in 2018. “I had never won any academic award in my life up until then,” he said. “I was working my hardest to catch up to everyone who thrived in high school and excelled at the beginning of college.”

Building positive, life-long relationships with professors at SCC greatly contributed to Farhadi’s success. “They were in my corner from the start,” he said, “and it continues to this day. I still communicate with many of the faculty and often come back to visit them even though I’m in Michigan now.”

After spending two years at the University of Missouri once he finished his time at SCC, he was accepted into the dental program at the University of Michigan. Because of his hard work and dedication, Farhadi received a Health Professions Scholarship through the United States Air Force. The scholarship will pay for all four years of dental school.

Farhadi at the University of Michigan - 2020

Like many students across the country, Farhadi is adapting to the “new normal” in and out of the classroom. He spends most of his time in online classes, but  he does have a few in-person pre-clinical courses.

“The University of Michigan is doing everything they can to keep things running safely and efficiently so we can continue to develop our hand skills and treat patients,” Farhadi said.

Throughout it all, he has stayed positive and is looking toward the future.

“As a doctor you are a life-long learner, so I hope to expand my skills through a residency program,” he said. “After that, I hope to start my own private practice wherever life takes me and travel the world volunteering my time and my skills in other countries that are in need of dentistry.”

Farhadi has already begun volunteering his time by mentoring through pre-dental consultations via Zoom and Instagram direct messages.

“It has been, and continues to be, a great experience for both myself and those that I interact with,” said Farhadi. “Social media is a powerful tool, and there are a lot of influencers in many different categories with different goals, but I’m just trying to give back and empower those that were once in my position.”

Students interested in a career path in dentistry are welcome to contact Ali Farhadi on Instagram at @mydentality.

 Farhadi works on a patient at the University of Michigan