I grew up in Katy, Texas, which is just west of Houston. For the longest time, I thought I was going to be a pediatrician. Mostly because my mother was a nurse and I loved the idea of working with children; but also because Biology and Physiology were subjects that I found very interesting. The summer before I left for college, my hometown dentist asked me if I wanted to observe him. I was classmates with his son and he thought I had the foundation to be a great dentist. I spent a week that summer watching him turn patients that were in pain into happy campers. The artistry he put into his work really wowed me. I left for college knowing that I was meant to be a dentist.

My college years at The University of Texas at Austin were a lot of fun. I played the clarinet for the Longhorn Band, so I got to attend all the home games. I majored in Biology and even worked in a lab and as a teaching assistant for the School of Biological Sciences. In dental school at Texas A&M College of Dentistry (formerly Baylor College of Dentistry), I taught a Biology prep course for students preparing to take their Dental Admissions Test.