When Sammi Yu ‘20 pitched the idea of “Dinner With 8 Strangers” to me, I just knew I had to say yes! As a relatively new addition to the School of Dentistry faculty, I jumped at the opportunity to spend some time with a small group of dental students outside of school and away from the responsibilities of patient care. Even though each UCSF predoctoral class is relatively small (85 degree candidates per year is small compared to the 280 in my D1 class at NYU!), four years is hardly enough time to get to know all of my students as well as I’d like to, especially when at least 50% of that time is spent giving out Axium swipes. Plus, there would be FOOD involved in this experience. How could I say no?
On Friday, May 4th, my eight strangers and I made our way to Buffalo Theory with inflatable light sabers in tow. (Why the light sabers, you ask? Because Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You!) Over the next few hours, we shared small plates, big laughs, and our most outrageous dental school stories and memories. Since most of my time at UCSF is spent with D3s and D4s in the predoc clinic, it was awesome to be able to hear the D1s and D2s reflect on their dental school experience so far and listen as the senior students offered insight and advice on how to successfully navigate the next two years of their training. We finished up the night by heading down the street to grab some freshly baked doughnuts at Bob’s Donuts. What a treat! Many thanks to the UCSF ADEA student group for arranging this event. I look forward to taking out another group of 8 Strangers next time!