Humans of UCSF: Seeing the Big Picture
“I’m beginning to learn how to look at the big picture. I’ve always been so focused on the details of everything; anything from planning every last car ride to making sure the prep on my tooth looks as perfect as possible. And then when something goes wrong, I would get hard on myself… but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my first year in dental school, it’s that mistakes are genuinely good. In the grand scheme of things, every failure has opened my eyes to ways I can improve, humbling lessons of learning how to ask for help, and exploring different techniques that may be more effective... all of which will make me a better dentist — and person — someday. Everything happens for a reason. We’ve been brought here to UCSF for a reason — even brought here to make these mistakes — and I trust that in the big picture, it’s these mistakes and lessons that are ultimately going to shape us to be who we are meant to be.”
Rebecca Tom
UCSF School of Dentistry, D1
Humans of UCSF is a student-run photography and multimedia project aimed at showcasing the faces we see on campus. We want to paint a picture of the diverse experiences of the UCSF community and get a glimpse of our shared humanity. We would love to hear from you! Please reach out by emailing synapse@ucsf.edu to connect with a columnist.
