Name: Darby Lefler (5’8”)

Tribe: Salish (Flathead)

Hometown: Arlee (The town was named after a local elder many years ago.)

I became interested in health care while growing up on the Flathead Reservation in Western Montana. The disparity in care and lack of knowledge regarding healthy living prompted me to pursue a career in Dentistry. It was a long hard road that led me to ASDOH, but support from groups like SAID and locating some mentors along the way to point me in the right direction, helped me succeed. I have a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Montana that has helped prepare me for dental school tremendously. I wouldn’t say that I would recommend that degree path for someone interested in dental school, but it presented me with many classes that are also taken in dental school. Getting into graduate school can be very competitive and difficult. What worked for me was persistence, marketing myself heavily, studying consistently, trying to be efficient with my time while working and going to school, and attitude. Setting a goal is only the first step. Many fail to reach their goals as they are trapped in the failures they encounter. Honestly, I think everyone here and at this level has experienced failure. Several students applied for more than one year to get in. What makes them different is they have the attitude of success. They failed to be burdened by the weight of failure and simply dusted themselves off after falling. I don’t believe there are any secrets, it is simply hard work and taking the steps you need to take to reach your goals. For me, aligning myself with people that could help me and sticking to my game plan has helped me. I am 32 years old and just now starting dental school. I have worked in many fields, and am very happy and proud to be a dental student. I hope to help others see what this great profession has to offer.

Darby Lefler