Black History Month: MPS grads aspire to become dentists
Rufus King grads aspire to become dentists
A pair of Milwaukee Public Schools graduates are setting their sights on becoming dentists.
MILWAUKEE - Kydra Johnson looks back at what made her happy as a child and realized she was a little different from the others.
"I loved going to the dentist when I was younger," Johnson said. "I had a really, really good dentist."
Johnson had a really good dentist – and apparently, a really good role model.
Kydra Johnson
"So I was like, hmmm, maybe being a dentist isn’t so bad," Johnson said.
Mapping out her future
What we know:
Since 4th grade, the plan has been in place. The Rufus King graduation set her sights on Marquette University – and then Marquette Dental school.
Despite strong grades and soaring in science, Johnson was a little nervous about getting accepted to the program. She turned to another Milwaukee Public Schools graduate for support.
"He took his interview before me so he was like you’re going to do fine. I was able to give her some tips about what to look out for in the interview," Johnson said.
Kydra Johnson
Sheldon Cruickshank was another child from Milwaukee who also dreamed of making the world smile better. He attended Milwaukee School of Languages. His advice to Johnson was, dental school is hard, let's grin and bear it together.
"It was pretty difficult to get in, especially studying for the 'DAT.' Like we studied for almost three months straight trying to get into school," Cruickshank said.
Like a pair of braces, Johnson and Cruickshank bonded to get through the cavities of dental school.
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"It made me feel like there’s hope for us – because you don’t really see too many black dentist coming up especially in Milwaukee and coming out of an MPS school," Cruickshank said.
By the numbers:
The numbers tell it all. The dental school receives one or two applicants a year from Milwaukee Public Schools. The national average of Black dentists in the U.S. is just under 4%, according to the American Dental Association.
Those statistics are not lost on Cruickshank's strongest source of support, his mother.
"He’s always been this little boy who’s always into stuff, always want to do stuff," Denver Cruickshank said. "Sheldon is very ambitious, he’s dedicated to whatever he wants to do."
A mother's influence
The backstory:
But halfway through the dental program came a change.
"There was a point where he wanted to stop," Denver Cruickshank said.
It was not the curriculum or the classes that made him want to quit.
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"Right now his Dad is incarcerated. So pretty much everything is on me," Denver Cruickshank said.
Cruickshank feared the financial strain on his mom. He was ready to drop out until he could find a way to pay.
"I told him you gotta keep going because most of the time when kids stop, they don’t go back," Denver Cruickshank said. "I literally took a loan and I said I’m going to do whatever it takes for you to continue to finish."
What's next:
From there, Cruickshank never missed a beat.
Cruickshank and Johnson are set to graduate in 2027 with hopes of opening their own practice in Milwaukee.
Sheldon Cruickshank, Kydra Johnson
"I would love to come back to Milwaukee and open up a practice and give back to the community," Cruickshank said.
"I don’t know any Black orthodontists that live in Milwaukee. So it’d be nice to give back to my community in that way," Johnson said.
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News with assistance from Marquette University.