Michelle Mould earned her Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Education at UMKC in 2010. She is now an Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene at Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee.
Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree from UMKC in 1991. She said the choice to obtain her master’s from UMKC was a “no-brainer,” especially after the start of the distance program, which allowed coursework to be completed online.
Michelle’s interest in dental hygiene was sparked during her undergraduate years.
“In college, I was an undecided pre-business major, and as I got more into the health science courses, I realized I wanted to be in the health care field,” she said. “One day, I was driving home from the main campus to the northland area where I grew up, and I just happened to look up and see ‘School of Dentistry.’ I thought, ‘That might be something interesting.’”
Michelle first wanted to be a dentist, but was told she should talk to the advisors in dental hygiene. She had already completed some undergraduate work, but was able to earn her bachelor of science in dental hygiene.
“I loved it so much that my five-year plan to go back to dental school didn’t occur,” she said. “So now I’ve been practicing almost 22 years, I think, and I love it as much as the day I started.”
Michelle said she couldn’t say enough good things about UMKC. Her undergraduate experience was “excellent” and her master’s experience was “incredible.”
Michelle would highly encourage students who are considering earning their master’s degrees.
“I think that it’s an incredible experience,” she said. “I was working full-time teaching and part-time taking courses, so it took me, I think, maybe six years to complete my master’s degree. But it was probably the most proud accomplishment of my life.”
In 2000, Michelle’s husband was offered a job in Chattanooga. Michelle worked in private practice when they moved, but had starting thinking about education.
“There happened to be a part-time opening at the college, so in 2003, I joined Chattanooga State as a part-time adjunct faculty member,” she said. “In 2005, I became a full-time faculty member when another faculty member had retired. So it all just kind of worked out, better than I could have ever imagined.”
When it comes to her job, Michelle enjoys the student interaction, especially when students have “light bulb” moments.
“It’s exciting to see them learning and becoming stronger and being confident in what they’re doing,” she said.
In the summer of 2005, Michelle student taught at UMKC for a local anesthesia course. She enjoyed teaching with her instructors, and says she still loves UMKC.
“I’ve done my research, and I think it’s one of the strongest programs in the country,” she said. “I think anyone that graduates from there knows they’ve accomplished something they should be very proud of.”