Fern Leavens balances her busy life at the school of dentistry with extracurricular activities
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry's graduating class of 2016 has brought a lot of pleasant surprises and reasons to celebrate. This year, dental graduate Fern Leavens is awarded with the Alberta Premier's Silver Medal.
"I was shocked when I found out that I had won this award," says Leavens. "It's a huge honour to receive such a prestigious award, and I know everyone works very hard so to be singled out is very humbling."
This award is given to the undergraduate student who achieves the highest academic standing throughout his or her undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, or Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "The dental program is very challenging, with eleven semesters and 75 courses packed into four years of school," says Paul Major, chair of the School of Dentistry. "For a student to maintain high grades and get involved in extracurricular activities like Fern did takes focus and dedication. I speak for many when I say we are extremely proud of her achievements and this award."
Leavens remembers she was told by one of her classmates' father-who is also a dentist-that the four years of the program would fly by… and he was right.
"He told us to really strive to get the most out of our education while we are here, and that's what I tried to do," she says. "It's bittersweet. I thought I would be so happy when it was all done, but I find myself a little sad to be leaving."
For Leavens the biggest and most rewarding challenge was transitioning from the classroom to the clinic. Going from a mannequin to treating real patients can be a little daunting at first.
"I had to put all the theory and practice into play," she says. "I knew I wasn't going to be great at everything right away, which was a very scary feeling. Learning to work with your hands takes a lot of time and practice. But it was also so much more rewarding to be able to work with patients and see the differences we are making for these people. There are so many amazing mentors in the clinic helping you along the way that there was no doubt that we would all gain the skills we needed to be successful."
Leavens recalls a patient experience that reinforced why she chose dentistry as a career. "I made a patient her first set of dentures and when it was all done the patient said: 'I can actually smile again; I'm not embarrassed anymore.'"
At that very moment, Leavens felt like she made a difference in someone's life.
In addition to her high academic standings, Leavens served on the Dental Students' Association (DSA) for the past three years as Public Relations Rep, VP Clinical and finally DSA President, and she was the SHINE Logistics rep for two years and a member of the Dental Alumni Association. She also conducted and presented research for the last three years, participating in programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Butt Out Smoking Cessation, taking part in a Kindness in Action mission trip and volunteering at the school with Multiple Mini interviews (MMI) for incoming students. Leavens has received numerous awards and scholarships over the years, highlighting her achievements. She has done an outstanding job balancing her school load and all her extracurricular activities.
Fern Leavens grew up in Creston, BC and went to Secondary school in Fernie, graduating with distinction before heading to University of Lethbridge for her undergraduate BSc degree in Mathematics, Honours Thesis in Biochemistry, and graduating with Great Distinction in 2013. She then entered the School of Dentistry in the fall of 2012 to begin her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.