At graduation, most people wonder what they will do after school. Jila Torabi was more curious about what she would do next in school.

鈥淚 love academia and I love learning so after I graduated I told a lot of my instructors, 鈥榊ou know what? I may need to re-enroll,鈥欌�� Torabi said with a laugh. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I realized that education is my anchor.鈥�

An instructor with 国产主播鈥檚 dental hygiene program since 2016, Torabi said being a teacher wasn鈥檛 originally her plan but people kept telling her she was a natural at it. While still a student, Torabi said she always found herself leading study sessions with classmates and even her instructors said she should consider it. But teaching still wasn鈥檛 on her radar 鈥� yet.

鈥淚 was just trying to learn stuff,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow could I be a teacher?鈥�

Even as a dental hygienist, Torabi said, she found herself instructing her clients while going over homecare information like proper brushing and flossing.

鈥淵ou are kind of always educating them, teaching them and telling them how to improve their oral health,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then I would hear from my patients, 鈥楧o you teach?鈥欌��

And that, Torabi said, is when she decided to become an educator.

鈥淣ow I don鈥檛 see myself anywhere else, besides teaching. I feel like this was my calling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something new all the time and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 so intriguing about it to me.鈥�

After more than 10 years of being a registered dental hygienist, Torabi is still as passionate about the subject as ever but now her focus is on sharing what she has learned to her students.

鈥淒ental hygienists are the only healthcare professionals that render preventative services,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope to ignite a passion for dental public health and dental hygiene science in the next generation of dental hygienists.鈥�

As a strong believer in lifelong learning, Torabi decided to go back to school in 2017 and enrolled in WCU鈥檚 Master of Public Health program 鈥� a decision she said 鈥渉elped advance my career and education.鈥� Soon after graduating from the MPH program, Torabi was named the director for the Dental Public Health and Introduction to Periodontology courses. In 2020, she was promoted to senior coordinator at WCU鈥檚 Dental Hygiene clinic.

鈥淎s an adjunct faculty at WCU, I had been looking into different online programs that would focus on preventative practice while enhancing interprofessional education and collaboration,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 looked at the curriculum of WCU鈥檚 Master of Public Health program and I was very impressed with its rich academic content and flexibility.鈥�

While Torabi admitted there were moments where balancing family or work obligations during the 12-month program got stressful, she never thought of giving up. In fact, she added, she鈥檚 actually recommended the online program to several people who were looking to take their career to the next level.

鈥淭his program is designed for working professionals,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 few former students and two of the faculty that currently teach at WCU are in the MPH program 鈥� and chose the program at WCU 鈥� per my recommendation. And they have shared how impressed they are with it.鈥�

Torabi is as passionate about public health as she is with about dental health.

鈥淧ublic health is a field where you are selfless and you thrive on knowing your efforts not only impact the health of an individual, but a community and a nation. The unique aspect of the public health profession is that one does not necessarily need to have a health education or health profession background,鈥� she said.

Torabi said with her MPH degree, she is now armed with the tools needed to fulfill her commitment to the community, while also being in a role that can help ensure health services are available to anyone who needs them.

鈥淚t takes a village to deliver care 鈥� especially to the ones in need, the ones from low socio-economic status, the ones that fall under the radar. I am happy to be a citizen of that village, which I owe to my education at WCU,鈥� she said.

WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.