Dental School dean recounts rise to success

Dental School Dean Raymond Fonesca spoke Tuesday about how he climbed the ladder to success. Fonesca told a small group of minority students about the various positions he held after graduating from the University of Connecticut Dental School. His first job was as a research assistant at the Parkland hospital in Dallas, where President John F. Kennedy was brought after being shot. Fonesca spent a year there researching the upper jaw before going on to hold a series of professorships and becoming Dental School dean. Fonesca said his rise to the top resulted from his strong determination and persistence. Asked if he had encountered much opposition in his career, the African-American professor said racism has not caused him problems. Fonesca said that while he was a student at the University of North Carolina, he had to work at a desk in a hallway, while his white colleague had an office. He explained that the incident did not deter him, but actually encouraged him to work even harder. He told the five students at the program that they cannot internalize their anger at the system because doing so is self-destructive. Fonesca explained that he always had a clear vision and a goal, and vowed not to give up until he reached his objective. Although he has achieved many of his goals, Fonesca still continues to practice and teach. Graduate pharmacology student Weslia Hynicka agreed with Fonesca, stressing that individuals, especially minorities, must have a clear vision. Fonesca's speech was part of the Pathfinder program in which minority faculty members discuss their experiences with minority students.