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Dr. Leigha Rock, director of the School of Dental Hygiene, Tarik Abdulkarim, Dr. Ben Davis, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry  (Nick Pearce photos)

It could be said that a series of fortunate events led this year’s Faculty of Dentistry Impact Award recipient, Tarik Abdulkarim (DDH’25), to Dalhousie University and its School of Dental Hygiene.
 
Born in Syria, brought up in Saudi Arabia, and planning to join his sister in Turkey to study for his undergraduate degree, Abdulkarim’s plans were turned on their head one day when a recruiter – "I will never forget her" – walked into his high school classroom in Saudi and told his class about Memorial University in Newfoundland.
 
"She described the community, she described the views, she described the program, the finances, and the co-op that they had," says Abdulkarim, who was interested in studying health or engineering at the time. "I sent in an application, not knowing what would happen next and without telling my family. I just did it."
 
Both Abdulkarim and his parents were surprised when the acceptance arrived, and even more so when Abdulkarim’s application for a visa – which he felt certain would be turned down because of his Syrian nationality – was successful.
 
It was all very sudden and very surprising. But there was more to do: translate transcripts, get reference letters, apply for residence, pay deposits, and make travel plans. It was a lot, but he says the process taught him a valuable lesson about not giving up. "I never backed down from it," he says. "I’m not sure why."
 
A new land
The work paid off and in 2018, Abdulkarim – age 17 – landed in Newfoundland, nearly 9,000 km away from home. Residence life gave him ready access to a social life and he began studying computer science, with the plan of doing software engineering with a co-op in engineering. But the university years are a time of discovery, and Abdulkarim discovered that he didn’t like sitting in a computer lab by himself for eight hours. "It just didn’t feel right," he says. "Something was missing."
 
Admitting that he initially struggled academically at Memorial, Abdulkarim explains that he was also busy applying for refugee status, which involved regular trips to Montreal to work with a lawyer and attend court sessions. His successful application meant that he would not have to leave Canada when his education was complete. He is now a proud Canadian. "I feel safe and welcome. Canada is my home."
 
After his first year at Memorial, Abdulkarim changed course, and switched to biology. By the time he graduated in 2023 with a BSc in biology for health professions, he knew he wanted to study more so that he could be directly involved in health care. His options included nuclear medicine technology in Alberta and dental hygiene or dentistry at Dalhousie.
 
Figuring out the future
Dental hygiene won out in the end because the two-year program was short and affordable, Abdulkarim had the prerequisites, plus Halifax was close to Newfoundland. A friend from Memorial who was a year ahead of him, Katie Morgan (DDH’24), provided insights about the program and the culture. "It definitely influenced my decision," he says.
 
He loved Halifax life from the start and the support he received from his instructors and fellow students. By the end of his first year in dental hygiene, he knew that being an oral health professional was the career for him. However, he began to question which oral health profession was right for him.
 
"I wasn’t sure until I started working in clinic and began watching the dentistry students in our small group practice," Abdulkarim explains. "One day they would be doing extractions and on another they would be working on a very complex treatment plan. I felt that this is what I want to be doing. So I started looking into it."
 
He says he knows what he needs to do and recognizes it will take time. That means he’ll work part-time as a dental hygienist next year and study biochemistry, physiology, and microbiology at Dal. An application to dental school – also at Dal – will follow.
 
Making an impact
When he received a message that he had received an Impact Award, Abdulkarim was both surprised and confused.  "I had to Google to find out what it was and then I realized you get nominated for it," he says. "It is very humbling and a great honour."
 
The award recognizes Abdulkarim’s impact on the Faculty of Dentistry through his work as co-president of his class and as one of two student representatives on the Dentistry Alumni Committee. He has also served on the Academic Appeals Committee, the Government Assisted Populations (GAP) Clinic Advisory Board, the Graduation Committee, and the EDIA Committee. This year, he was the co-recipient of the Keating-Bekkers Award in Dental Hygiene, which is given to a dental hygiene student "who shows exceptional promise, outstanding attributes, and interest in the profession of dental hygiene."
 
Abdulkarim believes in student involvement and likes that the Faculty encourages it. "I think there are valuable insights we can provide as students, plus we get to be involved in some of the decisions that are made in the Faculty."
 
As for his own decisions, he says that moving from Saudi to Newfoundland and from Newfoundland to Halifax were the "two best decisions I’ve ever made". He plans to stay in Atlantic Canada to practise.