Rebecca Salustri

UConn School of Dental Medicine

I lived in Columbia, Connecticut for my entire life before attending college.  I graduated in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology from Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

One of my most formative work experiences was my work outside of the United States as a public health research assistant at the Carter Center in Kampala, Uganda. There, I worked with their onchocerciasis research team, collected field data, and helped interpret that data with statisticians in the central office. A similarly crucial work experience, but closer to home, was my time as a camp counselor for adults with physical and intellectual disabilities at United Cerebral Palsy’s Camp Harkness, the only state park in Connecticut designated for disabled individuals and their families to enjoy.  I have also volunteered with the Special Olympics, Unified Sports and the Episcopal Church.

I applied to be a member of the Urban Service Track in order to mitigate my lack of experience working with and among Connecticut’s highly mutable demographics and locales. I have always admired my mother, who worked as a social worker with underserved populations in East Hartford for her entire career. With the UST’s help, I hope to have a similar record of service in the field of dentistry.