A dentist in the family

Paul Krzeszowski transferred to UW Bothell from Shoreline Community College, but his journey involved a 15-year layover that included working in retail, getting married, buying a home and having a family.

The defining moment came when Paul looked at his kids and realized he wanted to be a role model to them. There was no question that he needed to continue his journey in higher education.

Paul had his sight set on dental school and he chose UW Bothell’s perfect blend of academic rigor and community investment to prepare him. “UW Bothell taught me to be an academic,” he says. “It was a great environment where everyone helped me so I didn’t get lost. Faculty really care whether people learn. You see a genuine concern as to whether or not you’re actually learning. They make themselves available to students and you don’t see that everywhere.”

A recipient of the Husky Promise, Paul took a cross-disciplinary approach to his education because he wanted to become a well-rounded dentist who could relate to all of his future dental clients. “I majored in global studies so I could balance my science education by learning about cultures and how I effect the rest of the world,” he says. “Going between the sciences and global studies was a challenge because it required different thought processes.”

In his third year at UW Bothell, Paul applied to UW School of Dentistry and was accepted. He was told he could begin dental school without his degree because he qualified with his grades and prerequisites.

Not only did Paul take the leap to dental school, but he showed just how well the UW Bothell educational experience prepared him by being named the #1 student in his first year class.

Paul says UW Bothell challenged him areas that are still paying off. “Professor Bryan White prepared us so well for some of the things we would see in gross anatomy,” he says. “At some point, we would be tested on identifying anatomical structures. He simulated that in class, perfectly mimicking what we would have to do. Those tests are stressful and timed. The fact that Bryan set it up that way was invaluable. In dental school, it wasn’t new for me. For others in my class, it was completely new.”

Paul says while at UW Bothell, he was extremely focused on his goal and he encouraged others around to do the same. One of his goals is to dedicate part of his dental practice to charity work to provide access for people who can’t afford it. Given his track record, there will be plenty of patients receiving Paul’s help in the very near future.