Even when Paige McClelland, a senior at Clarkston High School, was a little girl, she knew she wanted to do something in the medical field, but not exactly what.
After spending a year as a dental assistant at Crestwood Dental, McClelland decided she wanted to be a dentist.
‘Last winter, I went to help my mom who is the office manager of Crestwood Dental, file some papers and what not,” she said. “Then Dr. John Abdelmessih taught me how to assist him and ever since then I’ve been one of his assistants.?
McClelland said Abdelmessih has played a ‘huge part? in her life ever since she met him and he was the one who influenced her to consider dental school by telling her how great the dental industry is and what the advantages are.
She decided to look into the University of Detroit Mercy, where Abdelmessih had studied.
‘I was still thinking ‘well, do I still want to go to school for that long and thinking is this really what I wanted to do,? she questioned. ‘Then when I went down to U of D and looked around and really looked into it, I decided it was.?
Not only did McClelland get accepted into U of D, but she also was one of 23 out of 75 applicants accepted into the schools Accelerated Doctorate of Dental Surgery program.
‘We had to write an on the spot essay and then we had to interview with someone from the dental school and a professor from the undergrad school,? she said.
‘I was working on patient with Dr. John and just numbing them,” she said.
“My mom wasn’t even working that day, she had just dropped me off and hadn’t even left yet and all of the sudden she opens the door and starts screaming ‘you got in, you got in.? I was like ‘what?? She said ‘You got in to the seven year program.’ My work glasses started fogging up, we went to the back and I just started bawling in the back room,? said McClelland. ‘It was like the happiest moment.?
The accelerated doctorate program allows students to complete dental school in seven years as opposed to eight, so it saves on a whole year of tuition. It works out to be three years of undergrad and four years of dental school. Her 3.75 grade point average also helped her receive a partial scholarship.
McClelland noted, her great-grandfather was a dentist.
Her mom, Katy, said she and her husband, Ian are proud of Paige. They knew she would do something in the medical field, but they never pictured her as a dentist.
‘I think what’s neat is kids this age to be able to do some type of job shadowing in different professions. Had she never done this, she possibly may never have gone into this,? Katy said.
‘I think that’s extremely important for kids to start shadowing even if you’re not working for anybody, but just to go in a few days and see what they do.?
Paige has also volunteered as the assistant coach of the Everest Academy middle school’s girl’s volleyball team for two years and has coached a girl’s team in the school’s annual sports tournament. She also has a younger brother who is a freshman at Everest.
Her other passions include snowboarding and studying/ dissecting pieces of art.
‘I love art. I have European art and art from the Renaissance all over my room,? Paige said.
‘If I couldn’t be a dentist or do something in the medical field, if that wasn’t an option for me I would like to be an art curator or something.?