Just because summer break has started doesn't mean that Kami Burgess stops providing dental hygiene education. This is the eighth year that she's traveled overseas on a dental mission trip over the summer break.
"It has become something that I look forward to every year, and bringing graduates has made the trip even more rewarding," she said.
This year, Burgess brought Shauni Johnson, a 2021 graduate, to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in late July. Together, they met with other dentists, hygienists, and volunteers to provide dental hygiene education, cleanings, root canals, extractions, and fillings to more than 550 people. The volunteers who take part in these mission trips serve those who have limited access to dental care providers or are unable to afford dental services.
"These trips allow me to share my clinical skills and expertise with others, and in return, the people of St. Lucia fill me with gratitude, joy, and thankfulness," Burgess commented. "They give 100 times more to me than I feel I am giving to them."
Over the past eight years, Burgess has developed friendships with other volunteers across the world, and each trip has made its own memorable mark, especially now that she is bringing graduates on the trips.
