Right before entering her final semester at IUPUI, Aiysha Amjad got a phone call that changed her life. The dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine was on the other end of the call sharing the good news that Amjad had been accepted into their doctoral program.
"I cried. I was so happy," Amjad said. "It was so surreal, and I think it was really a moment where it felt like my hard work and sacrifices in my schooling had paid off. It was a really good feeling."
The decision to originally apply to Harvard was encouraged by everyone around her. From professors to family and friends, everyone could see that Amjad was capable of making it to an Ivy League school.
"I had a lot of support," she said. "Harvard's mission really called to me as well. After learning about their mission and thinking about the background I had, I was like 'I think this is lining up, and I should go for it.'"
Dentistry as a career had been in the back of Amjad's mind since she was young. Residing from Lawrence, Ind., she had a positive relationship with her own dentist growing up that piqued her interest in the career.
"(My dentist) was really encouraging, and she would always let me shadow her from a really young age," she said. "When I got a little older and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, I considered dentistry a lot more."
After being awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in high school for excelling academically, Amjad could have gone to any college in Indiana with her tuition completely covered. Seeing all of the opportunities that IUPUI and Indianapolis could give her – like having the only dental school in the state on campus and being close to a large network of hospitals – it was a no-brainer to stay in her hometown.
"IUPUI is a really supportive environment," she said. "I saw myself thriving here as opposed to any other school in the state."
As a biology neuroscience major at IUPUI, taking prerequisite classes along with gaining dental experience in Indianapolis put her on the right path to Harvard.
Her internship with Dr. Jeffrey Steele at the School of Dentistry gave Amjad the unique opportunity of understanding dentistry from a civic engagement perspective – and how this career can make a difference in her community.
"Every day, I was empowered by Dr. Steele to think critically about how dentists can use their unique skill sets to sustainably impact communities," Amjad said. "The mission of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is to create the generation's leaders in dental medicine, and I am confident that the discussions and lessons learned from working with Dr. Steele will assist me again and again."
Amjad began working with Dr. Steele during her sophomore year through the IUPUI Life-Health Sciences internship program. Here, she learned the importance of strong foundational public health knowledge and was able to learn from professionals in the dentistry world.
"I was able to attend meetings and interviews with other dental school faculty participating in global outreach efforts, which greatly broadened my understanding of how inextricably linked dentistry and civic engagement are," Amjad said.
The following year, Amjad continued working with Dr. Steele as a community engagement assistant through the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning. With the public health dentistry experience under her belt already, she was able to focus on applying those learnings to a research study on dentist-to-patient interactions.
"I am so grateful to have met and worked with Dr. Steele," Amjad said. "There is always something to learn — no matter how old or advanced in your career you become. Dr. Steele's passion for dentistry is palpable, and I hope to emulate his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, as well as match his devotion to advocacy as I progress through my career."
Thriving at IUPUI while on her road to becoming a dentist is an understatement for Amjad. With numerous campus activities lined up on her resume – like being executive director of Regatta, an active member of both the Chancellor's Advisory Board and Pre-Dental club, a chemistry recitation leader and making IUPUI’s Top 100 – she stood out during the Harvard application process.
While she’s not 100% sure yet what she wants to do in dentistry, Amjad is beyond excited to see where this next chapter at Harvard will take her.
"Harvard will allow me to explore all of the different avenues within dentistry," she said. "I am really just going in with an open mind. I am excited to go into research and get involved in the political side of dentistry."
As she prepares to graduate from IUPUI in May and looks ahead to making the big move to Boston in the fall, a piece of her heart will always belong to Indianapolis.
"I'm going to miss the familiarity of IUPUI," she said. "I have lived in Indianapolis my whole life and it will definitely be a change going to Boston. I will always carry that piece of Indianapolis with me."
