Dr. Ziese comes from very humble beginnings, but her family’s long struggle with social and economic hardship inspired her to serve the needs of the less fortunate in the community where she spent her youth.
At the Diamond Springs Dental Center, her patients are predominantly from indigent communities and some, because they lack access to dental care, travel over 100 miles to see her. And it’s easy to see why. Dr. Ziese doesn’t just care for her patients, she cares about them. Her heart and soul are entwined with the people in her community, and this grant enables her to continue to serve them. Many of her patients are neglected, in foster care and suffer from rampant caries as well as an extreme fear of dentistry. Therefore, she hopes to take an oral conscious sedation course enabling her to offer increased access to care for her patients by sedation and complete patient treatment in a safe and caring way.
“I have found great joy in dentistry," Dr. Ziese says, "but even greater joy by serving those in need.”
Dr. Torres’ parents, both migrant farm workers, always took their children into the orchards when they picked oranges. They wanted them to see how hard life could be so that they would be inspired to dream of something more. They succeeded. Dr. Torres grew up to become the first person in his family to graduate from college. During his dental residency, he worked at the Community Medical Centers in Fresno, where the majority of his patients, many migrant workers, lacked access to care. By the time they came to see Dr. Torres, they often required multiple extractions. Those experiences solidified his desire to remain in the San Joaquin Valley and continue to care for the migrant families that so closely mirrored his own.
Today, Dr. Torres works at the United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley where more than 90 percent of his patients are underserved and Hispanic.
“I believe dental care is a necessity, not a luxury,” Dr. Torres says.
As a bilingual Latino dentist, Dr. Torres is able to connect culturally with his vast population of patients. With the assistance of the Student Loan Repayment Grant Program, Dr. Torres is able to stay in the area where he was raised, where his family still lives, and where he is sure to make an enormous impact.