Reaching the top
Dentistry topnotcher shares her journey and life lessons as a student
Her mother and brother, who are both dentists, inspired Alexa Eline Trinidad Tajud to take up dentistry. “I’ve seen my mom do dental works, treat patients since I was little. I knew I wanted to become a dentist and I knew mom wanted me to become one, too, so I didn’t say no when my mom asked me if I wanted to study Dentistry. And also, at that time when I entered college, my brother was already in his first year. I was happy to follow his and my mom’s footsteps,” said Alexa. Growing up, Alexa shared that she was just an ordinary student. “My mom always wanted us to sleep early, principles of health. She was always like that since we were in elementary. She always wanted us to sleep at 9 p.m. She did not pressure us in studying. She just wanted us to enjoy school,” she said. But when Alexa got into college, things started to change. Not only did she excel in class, she also graduated as Cum Laude at Centro Escolar University-Manila (CEU-Manila). Not only that, she also topped this year’s board exam for Dentistry with a grade of 86.04 percent. Alexa admits that she did not expect to land a spot in the top 10. She just did her best and really prepared for the exam.
BIRDS WITH THE SAME FEATHER
Alexa was placed in section A. In CEU, valedictorians and honor students from high school are placed in section A. “I was pressured when I learned that they were going to be my classmates. But I eventually became friends with them,” said the 22-year-old. Her group of friends, who call themselves the “Dream Team,” includes Francisco Beria (placed third in the board exams with 84.34 percent), Noni Gallenito (fifth, with 83.17 percent), Radj Paz, Sheryl Mitch Vy, Karissed Del Rio, and Elaine Sunga. She is also good friends with Sandi Santiago (fourth, with 84.20 percent). “When you’re surrounded by good friends, you’ll be inspired to study.” When asked if there was competition, since most of her friends were scholars, she said, “At first there was, but as our friendship grows, nawawala. We would congratulate each other whenever we get high grades. We would study together, share notes, and ask each other questions.”
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
The life of a student dentist isn’t easy. Balancing school works with extra-curricular activities are just some of the struggles they face every day. “It was not easy to balance my time between clinical requirements (dental treatments on patients) and the subjects we had. There were quizzes almost every day. We had to study but we also needed time to work in the clinic for the requirements. Plus, it was also difficult to find patients who were fit for the requirements. It was also time consuming. We go around our vicinity and will not let the day end until we find a patient,” she said.
Her advice to fellow student dentist, “You should plan ahead if you have free time because if you’re taking up Dentistry, you should stay focused. If you’re not focused, your deadlines and school works would pile up. If you have clinics and you did not plan your day, there’s a possibility that you cannot finish your requirements. It’s hard to look for patients, so during your spare time, you should be looking for patients or doing your homework.”
Alexa shared that pre-dentistry was her training ground to the real world of dentistry. She remained focused and her study habits shifted to a more serious level. While the next two years, during her first and second year proper, was where she was introduced to dental subjects and to more complex medical subjects.
GRATEFUL AND HUMBLE
Being the daughter of the assistant to the
dean, Alexa stayed grounded and was thankful for the benefits given to her by the university, mainly the free tuition fee. Her parents’ constant reminder to her was “that it’s important to be grateful and respectful especially to teachers and all workers in CEU. We should always follow the rules and regulations. We are always reminded to do our best, to help others and to stay humble.”
Alexa thanks the university for getting to where she is. “My stay in CEU had molded me to become a well-rounded dental professional that I am now.”
GOD LOVING
Alexa’s main inspiration in life is the Lord. Once in every semester, The Amicus (Adventist Ministry to College and University Students) would conduct seminars for students. During one of their seminars, which was about educational excellence. The speaker said “When you make studying a way to give back the glory to God, you will be rewarded. In any branch of study, we could find the fingerprint of God. If we only study for a grade it becomes a burden, but when you study for the Lord it becomes a joy. We serve a great God and He expects excellence in everything we do.” This became her motivation in pushing herself in doing her best.
During her spare time, Alexa would go to dental missions supporting the COMPASS (Community Outreach Movement Proactive Student Service. She would also help spread health awareness in school. She also loves reading. “I love to read good books related to self-improvement and business. I write essays before but I stopped when I became so busy in my studies. Lastly, I always listen to video seminars with talks about God and wisdom.” Aside from reading she also likes collecting cactus. She has 20 cacti in her collection. Buying cactus became her stress reliever and her break during exams.
PREPARING FOR THE BOARDS
“Last January, we were already starting to review for the theoretical exams, and the same time, we were finishing our clinical requirements. CEU helped us to study for the boards as we were required to pass the PreBoards: Revalida exams corresponding to the theoretical exam and the Clinical Proficiency Examination corresponding to the practical exam. We were required to pass both before graduation.
I was able to concentrate fully in the theoretical review when our classes ended on the third week of March. I also attended the CEU in-house review classes.
It was really hard because after graduation we had less than a month to review. So we had to use time wisely. When the theoretical results came out, it became harder for us. We had to practice day and night,” she said.
“I asked the Lord for guidance. I prayed, ‘Lord, please remove everything that hinders me in giving my best.’” It was a blessing in disguised for Alexa when her Facebook account was hacked three months before the exam. Social media was one of primary distraction in studying. She also stopped watching Korean dramas. “All of a sudden I didn’t like watching Koreanovelas.” She was more focused when all of her distraction was gone. Her mom also made a study room for her. It didn’t have a bed and had no Wi-fi. “You’re free to do what you want in there. You can post notes on the wall and practice. My mom would also prepare fruits and vegetables for me.” Alexa had a healthy diet of eating meat, fruits, and vegetables to prepare her for the boards. She shares that “you have to read, read and study as much reviewer as you can. Focus on one subject only. Do not be overwhelmed, you can pick the thinnest reviewers you have and study it by heart and then after that you can move on to the next review material you have. Avoid skimming through thick review materials. You’ll end up discouraged and pressured at the same time. Using flashcards helped me a lot. Flash cards also help. I recommend them.
Her advice to fellow students, “Stay focused, never take the exam if you were not able to study and review very well. It’s better to suffer while reviewing than suffer because you failed. Do not rush. No worthy effort ever went by unrewarded. Always do your best for God’s Glory.”
Life lesson: Since the board exam is really difficult, it requires not just human strength. We will be triumphant if we ask strength from God.”
Alexa plans to peruse graduate studies specifically surgery. She wants to take up her Masters in CEU as well.