CARING FOR PATIENTS IN HIGH POINT: Zaineb Ata Khan, Class of 2011.

Mentorship matters. Dr. Zaineb Ata Khan knows that to be true.

Khan is a dentist in High Point who treats smiles at North Point Dental Associates.

Her office is a short drive from the university where she began her path to becoming a dentist, but also much more.

Going into the medical field was always Khan's dream. She likes working with her hands, and she enjoys building relationships with people. She also speaks five languages, which comes in handy when encountering the many different types of people who need her help.

But the faculty mentorship she received at High Point University is what helped her chart her course in life.

"HPU's student-faculty ratio is amazing because you're able to have that one-on-one relationship with faculty. My friends who went to larger schools had to wait months to schedule a meeting with their faculty. But me? I was going to lunch to discuss my career paths with professors all the time, and they were helping me make myself a better candidate for dental school."

Khan grew up in High Point. She first met HPU's dedicated faculty during her interviews for the presidential scholarship program, to which she was accepted.

She declared her major as biology, and her professors helped her set a path for medical school. They connected her with an internship in the neurology and stroke department at Wake Forest Baptist Health early in her academic career so Khan could be sure it was the right path.

The experience was invaluable, but she realized that being a physician wasn't conducive for the one-on-one patient relationships she hoped to build.

With her professors' support, she tried something new. She landed an internship at a dentist's office and fell in love with the field.

"It made sense because I was always known as the girl who was smiling," Khan said. "But changing to dentistry was a major, important decision. I was changing the only dream I had ever pursued. There were times when I questioned...

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