Bachelor of Dental Technology graduand Ana Grymak.
In 2009 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old Ana Grymak landed in Auckland, New Zealand without a word of English at her disposal. Instead, the Ukrainian teenager had a piece of paper, hand-written by her stepfather, with her new host family's address on it.
Her stepfather had given her instructions: “Find a shuttle and give the driver that piece of paper.”
Eleven years later Miss Grymak (29) speaks English fluently and is ready to graduate from the prestigious Bachelor of Dental Technology degree at the University of Otago. She had bravery, determination, and a dream in her head. Now, she has New Zealand, and the world, at her fingertips.
Her journey to Otago actually began seven months before she landed in Auckland; because Ukraine had no New Zealand embassy Miss Grymak needed to spend that time in Vietnam, waiting for her New Zealand visa to come through.
She had just finished high school in Ukraine and had been looking at university options, but those options seemed unachievable.
“I'd wanted to work in the dental field and work with people's teeth since I was three years old. But I wasn't sure I'd be able to do that in Ukraine; getting into the health science field there is very difficult. My parents told me to choose something else but I didn't like that. I'd always wanted to be in the dental field.”
Her dental dream came from admiring extended family who worked in various medical professions, she says.
“These were very altruistic people. They helped people, and they liked helping people. And I wanted to be like them. And somehow I also liked to look at people's teeth. I don't know why. I just liked it.”
Her stepfather had advised New Zealand “because it was safe, chilled and friendly” she says.
“With Dental Technology you're seeing people when they have problems, maybe full tooth loss, and you can solve their problems. You can make something they can put in their mouths and they can eat again, be part of society, and feel happy. It's a great feeling to be able to help people. And you have so many possibilities after graduating.”
“He told me, 'it's a great country to get a start in'.”
But when she arrived her host family got a shock – they had not been aware she spoke no English. Miss Grymak got a shock too; coming from Sri Lanka the family prepared “very spicy” food she was not used to. Nevertheless, it was a good experience yet she soon moved to Dunedin to be close to the country's only dental school. Once there she spent almost two years completing language, bridging and foundation courses to allow her to study.
Despite such an effort to invest in her education, she still felt she wasn't ready for dental school. Instead, she returned to Auckland and spent three years studying microbiology.
But her yearning for the dental industry wouldn't fade. Eventually she applied for the three-year Bachelor of Dental Technology course and was successful.
“I remember calling my mum and I said, 'I got the offer for Dental Technology'. And she was, 'but, you're only one paper away from finishing microbiology'. But I said, 'mum, I really want to do this. I think this is my thing'. It was my internal feeling. I'm interested in how I can help people and what I can put into society.”
The degree trains people in the making of dental prosthetics and appliances, including dentures, crowns and bridges, implants, orthodontic retainers, and artificial facial prosthetics, University of Otago Dental Technology lecturer Dr Joanne Choi says. If graduates also complete a one-year add-on postgraduate diploma in clinical dental technology, they can see patients needing complete dentures and partial dentures, as well as making the appliances.
Ms Grymak says learning how to solve people's problems makes her happy.
“With Dental Technology you're seeing people when they have problems, maybe full tooth loss, and you can solve their problems. You can make something they can put in their mouths and they can eat again, be part of society, and feel happy. It's a great feeling to be able to help people. And you have so many possibilities after graduating.”
The course, then, suited her down to the ground. So too did New Zealand.
“For me, everything is better here. It's the whole understanding of life and lifestyle. I mean, it's hard to understand everything the first few years but if you're determined, that is ok.”
She still travels back to Ukraine every year, “but every time I go back I think, 'I want to go back to New Zealand, I just love New Zealand.”
Her future, following her graduation at the end of this year, could go in many directions, she says.
“I'm looking at my options. I've got a few job offers as a dental technician, I might do post-graduate study in clinical dental technology. Or I might do research and get a Masters and PhD where I can study more in depth in dental materials and dental technology.”
Eventually, she says, she could open her own dental lab or denture clinic business.
“It's a very open field, you can do a lot of things. If you want to learn a lot, you can. There are always a lot of options. I really like it, I've really enjoyed my time in this course. These three years have gone so quick.
“If you have an artistic mind and you're creative and altruistic and want to help people, this course is for you. This isn't only making teeth, this is making art for someone's mouth which can make a big difference in their lives. It's making something from scratch, from nothing. Every day you are creating something new. It just does not repeat.”
What does repeat is Miss Grymak's frequent examples of determination, hard work and enthusiasm, Dr Choi says.
“It was a long road for her to get to here and to find what she really likes. And she found it with Dental Technology. She's done so well, and she's got a big future ahead of her.”