JEMIMA LOUIS: A Smile Changes Everything
To Jemima Louis a smile can make the world of difference in a child or adult's life. "A smile changes everything," says the 2009 Caldwell College graduate. That's why she is so excited that she has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania Dental School, her first choice school. Louis, who is from the island of St. Lucia, knew the odds of getting into a U.S. medical or dental school are very tough for international students, but she went up against those odds anyway and she won. A Biology major with a chemistry minor, Louis worked extremely hard during her Caldwell College career. "I was academically focused on biology, but I still wanted to master everything that was thrown at me." That meant subjects like Philosophy, which she enjoyed, and history. "I did not like history at home (in high school), but Dr. Marie Mullaney, (a Caldwell history professor) made it so much fun—ridiculously fun!"
She says she came to Caldwell as a shy young lady, but "grew up here" and that Caldwell helped her come of out her shell. " Now, I do everything." The list of her activities is long, ranging from tutoring students in the Academic Support Center and serving as Junior Class and Senior class representative, to working in the Student Activities office, and holding the position of President of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She has been very committed to helping other students achieve their goals, even to the point of admitting that she has gotten out of her dorm room bed to help another student with her studies. "I try to be there for everyone as much as I can."
Louis has set her sights on becoming a pediatric dentist and has a driving motto that she penned on her own. "A child trained to love the dentist today is going to be an adult with a confident smile in the future." And if commitment is any indication of success, then Louis is definitely on the road to success. Just weeks before her Caldwell College graduation her friends were asking her why she was working so hard since she already knew she had the ticket to dental school. "I still want to go out with a bang," was her answer.
And out with a bang she went. By the time commencement arrived she had stacked up numerous accomplishments and honors from groups including the: The Caldwell College Scholars Program, The Presidential Scholarship, The Friends of Caldwell Award and the National Scholastic Honor Society Delta Epsilon Sigma. But perhaps the biggest accomplishments were the larger life lessons and experiences she received during her college years. "It (Caldwell) gave me as much as I could handle. It was my home away from home. I grew up not just by coming to Caldwell, but also by coming to the U.S."