DALLAS — When Shim Eliya danced across the stage at Texas A&M’s College of Dentistry’s graduation, the crowd erupted in cheers.
“It was just a beautiful experience,” the recent graduate told WFAA.
Graduating from a place like A&M did not come easy for Shim.
Born in East Africa waiting to escape a war, he grew up in a refugee camp with his parents and ten siblings. He told WFAA he had terrible tooth decay and gingivitis, which left him in constant excruciating pain.
“I couldn’t enjoy my childhood like the other kids,” he said.
When Shim was 3 years old, he and his parents once walked four hours to a dental clinic for care to get him relief.
“But when it was our turn, the supplies ran out and the doctors that were there said everything ran out,” Shim said. “They couldn’t treat everybody, so we had to go back home.”
Shim couldn’t access dental care until he was 9 years old, when his family moved to America. They settled in Fort Worth, and that’s when Shim first got to work.
He made a plan to learn English.
“When I first got here I didn’t speak English, I thought Spanish was English at first,” Shim laughed. “Because my neighbor downstairs only spoke Spanish. It wasn't until we went to school, they were like, 'That's not English.'”
Eventually Shim learned the language. He went on to graduate high school then college, where he played her soccer. He eventually earned admission to Texas A&M’s College of Dentistry.
Before his graduation, Shim and his professor, Dr. Jon Clemetson, traveled back to Africa to treat kids like Shim in need.
“Forgive me if I get emotional,” Dr. Clemetson said. He said Shim treated patients with exceptional care in Africa. But, he was most moved by Shim’s desire to help everyone, not just those in need of dental work.
“One day I saw Shim… there were some ladies there that would clean up the place,” Dr. Clemetson said. “And I just saw shim quietly remove himself from the group and he just got a mop, and he helped Ms. Elizabeth clean the clinic.”
Dr. Clemetson said unlike all dental hygienists, Shim knows firsthand what it means to need help.
"Shim, I believe will be able to reach patients through dimensions that most of us won’t be able to. He doesn’t treat teeth, he treats patients from his reality," Dr. Clemetson said.
Following graduation, Shim plans to change other people’s stories by beginning his career practicing public health in underserved communities.
"I’m not scared to take on the challenge, I’ve come this far," Shim said.