CTE Dental Assisting Class
Sutter County Office of Education and Sutter County One Stop provide a variety of Career/Technical Education classes to support those within our community. These classes range from Advanced Manufacturing to Certified Nursing Assistant to Hospitality. One such class that has had great success this year is our CTE Dental Assisting Class. Instructor Daniela Pomeroy has led ten students, ages 19-38, through the education and hands-on work required to become excellent dental assistants. These students have sacrificed a lot to continue their education. Their stories are amazing and their dedication to success second to none.
Tai Lopez, who has always had an interest in the medical field, has been completing her externship with Dr. Kevin Cordano. When she graduated high school, she completed her CNA/Phlebotomist certification and her AA degree in Science. She planned to complete her college education to become a registered nurse, but life circumstances dictated that she couldn’t take two years off to do so. The email she received about this program came at the perfect time for her. “This has been an awesome opportunity for me,” she said. “Daniela will go out of her way to help us. She is professional, yet personal.”
Navjot Tukhaur is completing her externship at A Kid’s Smile Dental. Navjot moved here from India 3.5 years ago and began her work career at Sunsweet. She chose the dental program in order to create a successful life for herself. “Sutter County One Stop is the best choice for anyone who wants a better life,” she said. “They have helped me with everything that I need to succeed.”
Priscilla Bailey, who has always had a passion for dentistry, is completing her externship with Crawford Orthodontics in Lincoln. After graduating high school, she worked in a variety of jobs from retail to caregiving to customer service. For the six weeks prior to taking this course, Priscilla worked 80-90 hours a week in caregiving in order to save enough money to be able to take this course and work at a dental office part time. She currently still works weekends in caregiving. Priscilla plans to pursue a career as a dentist; completing her undergraduate courses at Sac City College, her bachelor’s degree at CSU, Sacramento or CSU, Chico, then transferring to University of the Pacific for her dentistry education.
Leslie Hernandez, whose primary interest is in children’s dentistry, is completing her externship with Dr. Melissa Lee. A 2016 graduate of River Valley High School, Leslie has two small children. She has been able to complete the program with the support of her husband, mother-in-law and mother for child care.
Even though the students will not graduate until early May, Jessica Brown has been hired to work in a local dentist office. She plans to continue her education by completing her 700 hours (class time and dental office time) in order to apply to take the Registered Dental Assisting Exam. Once she has her RDA Certification, she will be able to complete all the tasks necessary in her dental office.
Instructor Daniela Pomeroy has been able to place all of her students with local dentists for their externship hours. The participating dentists are impressed with the knowledge that the students bring with them to their practices.
“I’m excited to have another program to serve the community by providing well-trained and qualified dental assistants to their field,” Dr. Kevin Cordano stated. “I have Tai from the dental assisting program in my office; she is hard working, intelligent and blends in seamlessly in our office. I’m excited to become more involved with the program based on my experience with Tai.”