Friday, February 6, 2026, marked 100 days until graduation for the DDS Class of 2026. Students commemorated the occasion with cake, connection, and community on Main Street. Led by Class President Jose Salcedo Hernandez II and Vice President Claire O’Reilly, students also reflected on the meaning of this milestone moment.
“Reaching the 100‑day mark is a powerful mix of pride, relief, and reflection,” Salcedo Hernandez said, “symbolizing resilience, perseverance, and the transition from years of training to the reality of becoming dentists. It’s especially meaningful for many of us, myself included, who will be the first doctors in our families.”
Salcedo Hernandez shared that the final 100 days of professional preparation will focus on clinical training, skills refinement, and requirement completion—along with camaraderie and connection as the class celebrates their progress.
As graduation shifts from a distant goal to an imminent reality, Salcedo Hernandez posed several questions to classmates and invited their comments.
What’s one moment from dental school that best represents how far you’ve come?
- Stressing over a cross-shaped STD [single-tooth direct course we take during D1] practical is comical.
- When patients tell me I’m going to be a great dentist.
- From crying in lab thinking I’d never be able to do a crown prep on a patient, to doing my first one.
What skill or lesson are you most proud of developing during dental school?
- Every day, no matter how difficult or trying, always comes to an end.
- Being able to keep going after multiple mental breakdowns.
- Patient communication.
- Communication, guiding patients, and hand skills.
- Learning how to tailor appointments to each patient to foster trust, relationship, and comfortability.
- My hand skills are what I’m most proud of—I can’t believe how far I’ve come since D1 wax-ups.
What dental school habit will be hardest to break?
- Waking up from the dream that Kirkup wants me to take another fixed practical—and not being able to fall back asleep because I still think it might be real.
- Asking for faculty approval before proceeding to next step.
- Asking for a prep check.
- Telling the patient in the chair: “Let me go get the doctor and see if he/she agrees,” or "Let me go get the doctor and we will see what he/she thinks” about your student-dentist diagnosis or opinion.
What’s one phrase you’ve heard so often in clinic that you’ll never forget?
- My patient failed.
- I’m happy I got you as my dentist.
- “Go ahead and fill it.”
- “Ayayay!” (Anyone who has worked with Menegotto knows that’s his favorite word.)
What’s one thing you Googled in D1 that makes you laugh now?
- What is amalgam?
- What is dentin?
- What are MMPs?
- What is the cavosurface margin?
- Is it spelled flouride or fluoride?