Powerful Profiles
Soojin Gwon '22
Dental Hygiene
There are many paths to the amazing and booming profession of Dental Hygiene. For Soojin Gwon ’22, that journey started in a coffee shop nearly 7,000 miles away.
Soojin owned a coffee shop in South Korea, where she cultivated a love of interacting and helping people. In 2015, she decided to make a huge move and come to the United States in search of a new career path that would allow her to follow that passion on a deeper, more personal level.
“I’ve always had a desire to help people who need it,” Gwon said. “I knew that the United States would be a better environment to expand my dream.”
Soojin quickly got to work as a Dental Lab Technician, making dentures that would “deliver a smile” to patients. She held this role for five years before deciding to make a shift to help patients directly in preserving their healthy teeth for as long as possible. That’s when that she heard about the Dental Hygiene program at Cape Cod Community College.
The fit was perfect, and she became a star student in the renowned program.
“Learning new things every moment with different patients was my absolute favorite part of the program,” Gwon said. “It made me think critically as a Dental Hygienist, and it prepared me to bring my clinical skills to patients.”
Gwon walked the stage as a graduate of the Dental Hygiene program in 2022 and was named the winner of the Courtney Gregoire Spirit Award, recognizing her passion, dedication, and service to her patients and fellow students.
With a degree to partner with her passion, Soojin is ready to become a star Dental Hygienist in the community. To those that will come next in the profession, she offers some advice:
“Be ready and be excited to learn in every moment,” she said. “When you enjoy learning, it will all come to you in the end.”