By: Sooyun (Christina) Kim
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
2024-2025
My name is Sooyun Christina Kim, and I am a Biology major at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a minor in Intergroup Relations Education. Born in Korea and raised across six countries, including India, Norway, Japan, and the UAE, my global upbringing shaped my deep interest in healthcare access, especially within dentistry. As an aspiring dental provider, I am committed to addressing the social, economic, and racial barriers that prevent many from receiving equitable, timely, and quality care.
Navigating the pre-dental track, I have often been frustrated and discouraged by the high costs of resources like preparatory programs and dental events. If these are challenging for someone with a stable socioeconomic background, the barriers are even greater for those with fewer resources. This disparity highlights a systemic issue: when providers do not understand these obstacles, it becomes harder to serve and advocate for patients facing them. I firmly believe all healthcare providers are responsible for supporting and empowering their patients – a meaningful step towards achieving this is to inspire and support future healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds, equipping them with the necessary skills to advocate for systemic change.
That’s why I applied for the mini-grant – to turn awareness, knowledge, and passion into action. With support from The Allstate Foundation, I helped launch an online, cost-free “Pre-Dental Day” through Project Smile Global, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to dental care and education for underserved communities through outreach events, policy advocacy, and education. The event featured mock interviews, a soap carving workshop, and an ethics bowl, connecting students with dental professionals. Traditional pre-dental days are often held in-person and require an upfront cost, restricting accessibility for many students. By offering this event free of charge and entirely online, we aimed to remove these barriers and open doors for a new generation of healthcare professionals, especially for those who are dedicated to addressing disparities within the dental field.
The process from start to finish brought many challenges and steep learning curves. From designing the event, coordinating with a large team with vastly different schedules and different time zones, navigating the financial and delivery logistics of the materials (soap carving utensils and t-shirts), delays in the check’s arrival, the materials not arriving on time, to executing the actual event. However, each hurdle taught us resilience, adaptability, and the importance of preparation. This experience deepened my commitment to social justice and affirmed my belief that creating accessible pathways for future healthcare professionals is essential to building a more equitable system. This would not have been possible without the generous funding from The Allstate Foundation.
The Newman Civic Fellowship has inspired me to lead with purpose, and the support from the staff, The Allstate Foundation, my mentor, and other Newman fellows reminds me that I am not alone in this work. Together, we can build an equitable healthcare system and world that truly serves all.