From a refugee with tooth decay, to a North Texas dental hygienist
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The path to graduation is never easy.
It comes with years of classes and difficult tests.
But for Shimirimana "Shim" Eliya, the path was extra difficult and at times painful.
"I grew up in a refugee camp in Tanzania," he said. "We would play in the dirt and try to be normal kids."
With limited access to healthcare, Eliya grew up suffering from severe gingivitis and tooth decay.
"There were times when the pain was just unbearable," he said. "There were nights I'd lie in bed and stare at the ceiling and wonder why I am the only one feeling this pain."
It turns out though, he wasn't. So many refugees, like Eliya, needed care during the rare opportunities when dental missions came to Africa, he was always turned away because supplies ran out.
"It made me feel frustrated but at the same time, motivated," he said.
When he arrived to the United States at around 9 years old, he eventually got the dental care he desperately needed.
But it was during that office visit he realized no one ever taught him tooth decay was preventable.
"I never got that part of the education, which is why I wanted to pursue hygiene," he said.
From a refugee, to now a first-generation college graduate, Shim has finished six years of schooling and will walk across the Texas A&M college of dentistry stage on May 27 to get his Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.
"It's going to be relief...that I get to hold the diploma that I have worked so hard for," he said.
He hopes to teach others not only how to take care of their teeth, but that hope is the promise of pain.
"I want everyone out there to know that you can do it," he said. "Always follow your heart."
