Zoe Karidis (Class of 2026) already experienced a bit of cultural change when she left her hometown of Pittsburgh in 2022 to start her dental training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. But an even greater shift in perspective is on the horizon, as Karidis and nine of her classmates will travel to Japan next spring as part of a student exchange between that country and the UAB SOD.
“I’m really looking forward to the Japan trip, because cultural awareness is very important to me,” Karidis says. “And the best way to learn about another culture is by immersing yourself in it. This program provides an experience for us to do that.”
It is an experience that, in many ways, Karidis has been anticipating for much of her life. She says many of her childhood friends in Pittsburgh were of Asian descent, and she has long been interested in exploring different cultures. As a result, not long after arriving at UAB, she became involved with the Asian Dental Student Organization.
“I’ve always tried to help organize events to bring people together, especially with our international students,” Karidis says. “I want them to feel like they are part of our class, and not something separate.”
Karidis recently received a sampling of what the Japan trip will be like when she and her classmates hosted the Japanese exchange students in Birmingham for 10 days. In addition to showing them the UAB campus and SOD facilities, they also toured Birmingham and made day trips to Nashville and Atlanta.
Zoe Karidis (middle) smiling for a group photo with dental student, Hailey Mao (left), and exchange student from Japan (right) during the Meet and Greet in Greer Lounge.“We had a packed itinerary, with activities from morning until night,” Karidis says. “We welcomed them to UAB with a presentation from the Dean, and then they got to meet all the students in Greer lounge. We took them through all the specialty clinics at UAB and showed them the student laboratories. They also got to shadow us in clinic and attended one of our lectures.”
“We also showed them all around Birmingham. We went bowling, played Top Golf, and took them to Buc-ees, Bass Pro Shop, the Summit, and Target. We also had a day at the pumpkin patch and a cookout at Dr. Dengler's house, who is one of our faculty chaperones and was kind enough to open up her home to all of us. Then we spent one day in Nashville for a Predators (hockey) game, and a day in Atlanta where we went to the World of Coca-Cola museum and a Falcons (football) game. They were definitely very busy while they were here.”
Along the way, Karidis says a strong bond formed between the two sets of students that easily overcame any potential cultural differences. She says that friendship has created an even greater sense of anticipation for the SOD students’ upcoming trip to Japan.
“We made a deep connection. By the end, we were just one big friend group,” Karidis says. “When we were sending them off, everyone was just sobbing. We were so sad they were leaving. It’s going to make us value it even more when we go see them. We’ve already created such an amazing relationship, and that excitement will continue to build as the trip gets closer.
“I’m looking forward to being able to try all the foods there and just immerse myself in their culture. I’m also interested in touring their dental school and seeing what that’s like. Just experiencing dentistry in a different country and learning more about it.”
The trip to Japan will be one of Karidis’ final activities before she is scheduled to graduate from the SOD next year. She plans to spend one year in a residency program before starting work as a general dentist. And she fully expects that her experience as part of the Japan student exchange will benefit her career.
“Inclusivity is very important to me, and being a culturally competent provider is a soft skill that is important to develop,” Karidis says. “This trip will give me the opportunity to learn a lot more about the culture in Japan and find an even greater appreciation for it. I think that’s going to makes me more aware of different cultural nuances, which overall is going to make me a more competent provider.”