Gillian Pierrard, B.S.D.H.

What is your hometown?

I am from Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Why did you choose WVU?

There are plenty of reasons why I could say I chose to attend WVU, although when I began applying to schools, the most important factor for me was the amount of hands-on experience. Compared to the other dental hygiene schools I looked into/applied to, WVU had the most amount of clinical experience. This was something I valued, because I did not want to rush through my education. At WVU, we begin our clinical rotations in the summer of our sophomore year and continue to see patients up until the time we graduate. Through these clinical experiences I have been able to home in on not only my instrumentation skills but how to work with my patients and provide them the best possible care.

Why did you want to become a dental hygienist?

My passion for the field of dentistry began when I was a child. I can remember so clearly the brightly colored walls and the smiles on the faces of the staff at my first dental office. My mom even says I used to beg her to take me back there so I could learn more about my teeth, which most times is not something you hear a 5-year-old begging to do! The passion I had as a child only began to grow when my mom had to go through her own dental problems. This was the first time I truly saw how poor dental hygiene can not only affect our bodies but a person's image of themselves. While seeing this affecting my own mom, I knew she was not the only one going through this, and I wanted nothing more than to be the one who can help make that change in people's lives.

What would you tell prospective students about your experience at WVU and the School of Dentistry?

If I had the chance to share one piece of advice for incoming dental hygiene students, it would be to never give up on pursuing your dreams and always work to your highest potential. Before WVU Dental Hygiene, I would say I was an average student who did the work in order to pass the time by. My experience here has been anything but “just doing it to get it over with.” As I reflect on my time here, I can see just how much WVU and the School of Dentistry push their students to success. We are provided so many opportunities to see and learn new techniques that many people will never get the chance to. Through my education here, I am confident that I will be able to pursue my dream of providing people like my mom with the care/education to get their smiles back!

Have you had any particular professors or faculty members who have made an impact on you while at WVU? 

This is a hard question to answer for me, as each member of my faculty has made each of their own impacts on my life. This is because dental hygiene is a very close-knit major, with only 20-25 students per class and seven professors. When we begin our freshman year, we are not at the Health Sciences Campus every day, but as soon as we become sophomores, the only professors we have are the seven I mentioned above. With that said, we have gotten to spend every day since with them, and they have begun to understand who we are as individuals.

Since I can’t choose just one, I would like to say something small about each professor that I will always remember and carry with me.

Thank you, Mrs. Groover, for all the questions of mine you answered when I was applying to the program.

Thank you, Mrs. Sowards, for listening to my troubles and letting me cry a few times in your office.

Thank you, Mrs. Puette, for always teaching me different techniques to enhance my clinical practice.

Thank you, Mrs. McQuain, for working with me one on one to help me pass my National Boards.

Thank you, Mrs. Funk, for being such a great instructor when first learning our instruments, I promise I’m not “Shakey McShakerson” anymore.

Thank you, Mrs. Dean, for all of your wonderful affirmations you have given to me and my classmates about our future careers.

And lastly, thank you, Dr. Shockey, for always making me laugh and helping me navigate through my presidency of the WVU Student American Dental Hygienist Association.

How has your decision to attend WVU inspired your career path?

Through the opportunities I have been given as a student here at WVU, I have decided that I would like to explore what Travel Dental Hygiene has to offer. I also am unsure if this is the last of school for me. As a part of our curricula, we learn an immense amount about teaching dental hygiene and how we can apply that knowledge to public health settings. So, I do hope in the next ten years, to come back to school and obtain my master’s in dental hygiene!

Have you participated in any clubs, student organizations or other groups in the School of Dentistry?

Yes, as dental hygiene students, we are all a part of a group called SADHA. SADHA stands for Student American Dental Hygienist Association, and as its members we work together to give back to our community. Through SADHA, students may hold leadership positions as well. I personally held the position of class representative my junior year, and this year I hold the position of president! My presidency has been an amazing experience, and one of my favorite moments was getting to see our welcome back picnic that I planned finally come together!

Tell us something unique or interesting about you that others may not know.

Something unique about me is that I am bilingual! Many people in my program know this, but I always find it funny when other students or faculty hear it for the first time, they are always so surprised.

Any special memories, achievements or messages you’d like to share?

Overall, through this program, I have been able to be more than just a hygiene student. I am a leader, a mentor, a friend, a volunteer and a person my childhood self would be proud of. If it were not for SADHA and my time here with WVU Dental Hygiene, I would not have the skills to lead and the strong drive to make myself something in this field.

Read more about Gillian's Journey