MOHAVE COUNTY – Jeremiah Cummins, 26, is a Dental Hygiene student at Mohave Community College and an MCC Foundation Scholarship recipient. He hopes to earn his bachelor degree after MCC and eventually attend a dental school.
He decided to attend MCC because it’s close to home and its affordability. Cummins added the college offered a lot of what he needed to achieve his goals and easily transfer to a university.
After earning his associates in Dental Hygiene, he plans to attend Northern Arizona University or Arizona State University to complete a bachelor’s degree in either chemistry, biology or health sciences.
Cummins enjoys the Dental Hygiene program because of the hands-on learning and clinical skills he’s learning. The most interesting thing he’s learned is anesthesia and the anatomy of the head and neck.
He said learning those things has prepared him for administering anesthetic in clinical settings. His career goal is to become a dentist and eventually start his own business to sell and manufacture preparedness equipment and a gym.
Cummins received the Carolyn M Bruce-Spicer Scholarship, which is awarded to a student enrolled in an Allied Health Program and is a Mohave County resident.
“It relieved a lot of financial stress which helped me sleep, study, pay attention and spend more time on campus knowing I could afford daycare for my son,” Cummins said.
He added a “thank you” for the financial support, and it was greatly appreciated and well used.
Cummins previously went to a university in Colorado and moved back home after a difficult time in his life. MCC was able to help him navigate is educational journey by providing advisors that are easily accessible, and the financial aid office that’s readily available and willing to help.
He’s currently working at Ridgeview Dental in Kingman as a Dental Assistant. He started working as a dental assistant shortly after graduating high school.
Cummins said its difficult to juggle school and a job, but when the job is in the field he’s pursuing, it keeps it relevant.
As a student he is the President for Student American Dental Hygienists’ Association. He joined the organization to be part of a leadership role, develop his leadership skills and participate more in the program. Being part of the organization also allows him to work closer with his classmates.
Cummins was born in Phoenix but relocated to Mohave County with his family in 1997. He graduated from Kingman High School in 2013. On his free time, he enjoys spending the time outdoors like target shooting and defense training, camping, off-road travel, overlanding, survival practice and education, martial arts and fitness training.
Advice he would give to high school students is to take as many classes that are relevant to your goals at MCC and to take advantage of the ease of access to advisors.