Michelle Llinas

UConn School of Dental Medicine, Class of 2018

I was born in Queens, New York and raised in a town called Hewlett on Long Island in New York. I received my Bachelors of Art in Biology in May of 2013 from Hofstra University.

My experiences as a dental assistant in Brooklyn have encouraged me to become more active in the community as a student at the University of Connecticut. On a day-to-day basis, I see the need for improvements in the quality of service in the oral health field, in patient education, and in the level of involvement of health professionals in their communities.

The Urban Service Track is a program that will enrich my dental school education, strengthen my skills working on interprofessional teams, and mold me into an active and conscientious health professional. My goal is to remain sensitive to the individual needs of patients and active in underserved communities throughout my career. I am a first generation Colombian-American who has had opportunities that many, including my own relatives, have not. While I didn’t grow up in an underserved community, much of my family did. Because of this familial connection to poverty, it will always be important to me to serve populations at high risk of disease which lack financial resources. I intend on using the team and leadership skills I’ve learned from positions in past employment and on various athletic teams to become an advocate for the improvement of oral health care.