Jenae is a fully online RDH to BSDH student who recently graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. She has over 25 years of experience in the field and believes that laughter is the best medicine! With a huge heart and a contagious smile, she鈥檚 all about bringing holistic health to her patients and spreading joy.
When she is not brightening up smiles, you will find her chasing adventure outdoors. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, and hunting for fossils. And with a bustling blended family of seven, there's never a dull moment in her household!
My favorite way to recharge is to get outside and absorb and soak up every bit of nature, and to feel all of it, recharge my body and soul.
My favorite study tip is time management. As a working mom, I have learned to stay ahead of assignments for best possible success each semester.
After graduating from dental hygiene school 25 years ago, I knew I wanted to pursue further education and complete my degree. However, during my first marriage, I attempted a degree completion program while taking care of a baby and being pregnant with a second child, all while facing less than ideal marital conditions. As a result, I had to stop my classes and support my family. Despite the challenges, I am grateful that I was finally able to achieve my goal of completing my degree 25 years later.
One of my greatest accomplishments as an online student at WSU has been achieving and mastering the power of online learning. As an older student, my mind felt antiquated, unsure if I was going to be able to perform the work without a lot of handholding. The instructors recognized the variety of learners within the great big World Wide Web and were able to speak to my worried heart and walk with me down a path of academic success the entire time while bolstering my confidence and self-image as a successful student. This is a big contribution to what has led me to where I am today. Contrastingly, one of the biggest obstacles I was able to overcome was learning work-life-student balance. Taking one class a semester was how I was able to balance coursework, exams, and assignments working full time and raising a family of seven children. While juggling academic responsibilities with children's extracurricular activities and personal commitment required organization and disciplined time management skills. This all came as unfamiliar territory that required me to bend, as well as our family. Through the support of my husband, children, peers, and mentors this obstacle was minimized through resilience, resourcefulness, and utilizing available university resources to get me where I am today. For all of this, I have so much gratitude in my heart that speaks to education.
How have you balanced your current responsibilities, such as work or family commitments with your academic pursuits?
Provided that I organized my time and creatively worked with my family to meet everyone鈥檚 expectations. It takes a little give-and-take from everyone and I am grateful they were so supportive of me and my goal.
How do you envision your education impacting your career or opening new opportunities?I envision my education impacting my career as opening doors to the world of teaching in academia. I will eventually transition out of patient care and leverage my experiences, and more than 2 1/2 decades to pass on to enhance and mold young clinical minds.
A recent quote from her nomination, Online Learner of the Year Award 2024
"Jenae鈥檚 professional accomplishments set her apart from the average hygienist when she was introduced to helping those who deserve oral health. This ignited the fire of volunteerism in remote medical missions in which her heart grew and yearned for more. Preparing, and organizing supplies, children鈥檚 coloring books, and disposables needed for one of the largest medical missions in the New Orleans Zoo. Hurricane Katrina in 2006 left New Orleans devastated but she was able to help which was the catalyst for what then would become a career and love of serving those who are less fortunate and without opportunity. She found herself traveling the world over the next two decades, participating in local state-side and global volunteer projects, privately funded, personally funded, and with non-profit organizations. Part-time volunteer work has prepared Jenae for a positive career driven by the love of bringing health to others. 罢丑别谤别鈥檚 nothing she asks of her patients that she is not willing to do herself. She feels this brings a quality of health that we all deserve. - Dr. Natalie Delacruz, Associate Professor in Dental Hygiene