My name is Jessica I’m a second-year dental hygiene student who went on the SPC study abroad trip to the Bahamas. Our mission was to strengthen our clinical skills while providing dental treatment to those in need. Most of the people we treated had never had a dental cleaning or been to a dentist. The Bahamian people are not like any other person I’ve ever met they are some of the kindest and humble souls you will ever meet. The landscape in Nassau was breathtaking with the sunshine, turquoise waters, and gold sandy beaches. The Bahamas is like old Florida with a Caribbean southern charm. A place that you never want to leave.

During our stay, we had rotation sites of many different clinics set up to see a variety of different patients some being young children. The gratuity that was expressed by the Bahamian people had me leaving with a full heart. The children that we had seen after their cleanings would come up to us and give us hugs and say “Thank you, ma’am”. I could have stayed here the entire trip the children were so sweet.

I feel like after getting to see a variety of patients who have never sat in a dental chair to adults who didn’t know the importance of oral hygiene I’ve become a stronger clinician. I will forever remember this experience and refer back to some of the things that I experienced during patient treatment later in my career. I’ve come back from my trip to the Bahamas with a closer bond with my classmates and a type of excitement for my future that I didn’t have before.
I would recommend a study abroad trip to anyone who not only loves to travel or maybe someone who has never really traveled but wants a kind of passion for their future that they couldn’t without going on a study abroad trip. A new appreciation for the career path you have chosen and experience a country that you maybe would have never visited without going. My classmates who joined me on this trip are already talking about going on another mission trip after we graduate this year. We all loved every minute of the experience and we can’t wait to get back and do it again! – Jessica, SPC Bahamas Dental Study Abroad Program, January 2025