Heewon Yang, a student at North East ISD’s Career and Technical Education Center, participates in the school’s dental assistant program. She loves the hands-on learning in CTEC’s high-tech dental classroom.
Heewon earned her dental assistant certification while still in high school. It will help her get one step closer to her career goal. “I want to go to dental school after this and become an endodontist. I thought the dental assistant program here would be a good stepping stone for that,” she says.
Heewon’s personal experience inspired her interest in dentistry, and she hopes to make positive changes in accessibility. Heewon states that one of her goals is to make dental health care more affordable for lower-income families. “I come from a lower-income family, so it’s been difficult for my family to afford healthcare” she says. “And I think taking care of your smile and getting that dental treatment is so important.”
Heewon is also an outstanding student at the STEM Academy at Lee High School . She maintains a 100+ grade point average, and she was accepted into several universities. Heewon credits her North East ISD teachers and the innovative CTE and STEM programs for setting her on this career path. “I’m just super grateful that I found CTEC…I’m letting my friends know more about it, especially incoming students. Because I think it is a great program.”
