Today we’d like to introduce you to David Garcia.
Hi David, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
At a young age, I struggled to find my identity and place in the world. I had the most grotesque teeth that one could lay eyes on, which impaired my confidence to even communicate with others. I would be excited each time I went to my orthodontist’s office because I knew that every adjustment led to the day when my braces would finally be removed. The English language has not evolved to properly describe the feeling I felt from seeing my teeth for the first time after the removal of my braces. However, I knew that I finally felt some form of confidence to communicate with others and explore different mediums to exercise my creativity that had been suppressed for years. I got into photography by photographing my friends in high school and photographing the environment around me. I found solace in photography and decided to pursue a career in college where I can continue to use my hands to impact the community, which led me back to dentistry. Contrary to popular belief, pursuing a career in dentistry is just as challenging as pursuing a career in medicine. The field led me to become a leader in the community, which is something I would not have envisioned myself doing a few years ago before the removal of my braces.
I became the co-president of the STEM Career Club at Georgia State University where I would create workshops that aided students in building connections and networking with professionals in their industry of interest. I personally invited representatives from clinics and corporations to the college campus to share with the students of the career pathways they will need to take to attain a STEM position at their respective companies. When I transferred to Emory University, I would mentor other students pursuing dentistry. I got the opportunity to share my story with a few people hoping to inspire them and get them excited about their dental journey. I later was given the immense responsibility of becoming a teaching assistant for a course at Emory, which included reinforcing lessons by tutoring students during my designated office hours. I loved helping others and meeting so many different people. The experiences and interactions influenced my identity, I strive to create relationships with more people from around the world and build communities. This desire to help others has inspired my latest endeavor which is to build my own scrub brand. I want to make comfortable, fashionable, and affordable scrubs that everyone can access. Through this new medium, I plan to create a community where everyone feels welcomed, prepared, and confident to take care of patients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always felt behind others. I felt like I had to work harder to understand and be proficient at certain subjects. The constant feeling of being behind influenced my drive to keep up. Even at moments when I was caught up, I would never stop working and always looked for something to do. This fixation took a toll on my mental health, which led to me being more mindful of starting too many projects at once. A friend once told me that everyone is on their own timeline, I took that advice to heart and stopped comparing myself to others that were behind and ahead in fields that I am pursuing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known for the transparent content that I post and promote on Instagram. I love showing and telling the world about my progress in hopes that I inspire people. Nowadays, many only posts their highlights, glamorize their fields or create this false narrative that they are living a perfect life. These notions negatively impact the health of many users. I am completely transparent with my following and post my progress to demonstrate how much work it takes to make it to the highlights. My objective is to never let any of my following feel like they are alone or lost in their journeys and that we are all humans that struggle together as a community.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I believe what matters most to me is my impact on others. I have had this initiative of impacting others and motivating others to aspire for more and to think further beyond their goals. When I communicate to others through mentoring, tutoring, or through social media, I do not glamorize my life. Many demonstrate the incentives of their fields to their audiences rather than showing the tremendous amount of work that goes into reaching these high points. I never want anyone to look at my page and say, “how did he pull it off?” I want them to look at my page and say, “oh it can be done.” I want to open doors and leave those doors wide open for my community. I want my audience to never settle for what is expected of them.
Contact Info:
- Email: daavidgarciaaa@gmail.com
