Ikodiya Kalu

UConn School of Dental Medicine

My name is Ikodiya Kalu and I am an incoming dental student at the University of Connecticut
School of Dental Medicine, Class of 2027. I was born in Secaucus, NJ and raised in Jersey City,
NJ up until high school when my family and I moved to Newark, NJ. In May of 2023, I
graduated from Wesleyan University with a bachelor of arts in biology and a minor in chemistry.
Throughout my life I’ve always had an interest in helping others and as a result I immersed
myself in positions that would allow me to aid in the advancement of others. During my
undergraduate career I volunteered as an individual tutor, this experience afforded me the
opportunity to interact with children in the community surrounding my school and help them
with academic challenges they were faced with. When home for the holidays and summer breaks
I volunteered at a local food pantry where I assisted in the distribution of goods. My interest in
becoming a scholar of the UST/AS program arose from my brief introduction to the program
during the dental school interview process. I was pleased to learn that students attending
UCONN would be able to potentially participate in a program that provided clinical exposure
and activities centered around developing skills to address some of the medical challenges seen
in underserved areas. I am confident that as a UST/AS scholar I will obtain the knowledge
needed to become an exceptional health care provider.