Five Dentistry Students Honoured with U of T Student Leadership Awards
By Rachel Boutet
The University of Torontoâs prestigious Student Leadership Awards recently recognized five Dentistry students â Diego Proaño, Tanvi Sharma, Lynda Wo, Matthew Yen and Joyce Zhu â celebrating their outstanding leadership and volunteer service at U of T. We connected with them to reflect on what the award means to them.
What are you most proud of as a recipient of this award?
Proaño: I feel most proud to be recognized for my service to others. I would like to acknowledge the collective efforts made in each of the groups and committees I have worked with and the amazing people involved.
Sharma: I am most proud of being able to give back to the community at University of Toronto, which has long been a dream institution for me. Being part of this environment and learning alongside such accomplished faculty and peers has made the experience especially meaningful.
Wo: Advocating for positive change and improving the student experience as vice president of academics (Dental Students' Society) and academic representative in the first two years of the program. Outside the classroom, I am proud of my involvement in intramural sports and research projects.
Yen: Although this award recognizes my involvement in leadership, research and service, what means the most to me is that it reflects my commitment to making a meaningful and positive impact on my peers and faculty.
Zhu: Same reason I ran for class president back in first year: to make friends! I am most proud of the friends I made along the way.
How did you find time for leadership and volunteerism with your busy school schedule?
Proaño: I try to be open and available to different activities, which can become a challenge in a busy schedule. In most cases, and when time permits, I try to adjust my schedule to be available and present during meetings. Generally, these meetings are now online, which makes it more accessible to me. Communication is a key aspect in staying connected, as my schedule can be filled quickly. I need to be respectful to others in letting them know my availability or catching up on how the meeting or event developed. Although I donât find it easy to have time for leadership and volunteerism, I think it is much harder to let go of such opportunities.
Sharma: Dental school is undeniably demanding, but Iâve always believed that if something truly matters to you, you make space for it. I focused on being involved in initiatives that directly contributed to the student community, whether it was helping organize events, supporting student-led initiatives, or contributing to collaborative projects within the Faculty, which made my commitments feel purposeful rather than overwhelming.
Staying organized and planning ahead were essential, but equally important was learning to be flexible during more demanding periods. I also came to see that leadership and extracurricular involvement were not separate from my academic journey â they complemented it. These experiences strengthened my ability to communicate, collaborate, and stay adaptable, all of which are essential in both clinical training and working within a team environment. I was fortunate to be surrounded by supportive peers who made collaboration both efficient and enjoyable.
Wo: This is definitely challenging at times, but having a passion for creating change in the community can inspire you to continue. Seeing the end result of a successful project is what continues to motivate me. Finding something you love that is suited to your strengths makes it easy to prioritize your work. Work-life balance is a phrase thrown around quite often but itâs something that we all have to inspect throughout our careers. The only important part is keep trying.
Yen: Taking on leadership roles gives me a strong sense of responsibility, and serving others is something that intrinsically energizes and fulfills me. Rather than viewing leadership and volunteerism as additional obligations, I see them as meaningful parts of my daily routine that provide purpose and momentum. When my schedule is filled with activities aligned with my values, I find that I become more focused, disciplined and productive.
To manage my time, I organize my schedule by batching tasks and setting aside dedicated blocks of time for deep, uninterrupted work. This approach allows me to stay ahead of my academic commitments, clinical responsibilities, and leadership duties without feeling overwhelmed. Interestingly, I often find that the busier my schedule becomes, the more momentum I build throughout the day. By involving myself in activities that challenge and inspire me, I maintain a sense of fulfillment that motivates me to continue contributing through leadership and service.
Zhu: After getting into dental school, I made a promise to myself that I would no longer make academics my singular focus. Once âperfectionâ was no longer the goal, I suddenly had a lot more free time. I made student council a priority: studying and other commitments had to adapt around my meetings and duties. The experience also taught me how to organize my calendars â I currently have four â plan in advance, and delegate as opposed to taking on too many responsibilities. As the DSS president, I am not personally in charge of organizing events, but I must know when and who to prompt, as well as be available to answer questions, problem solve and brainstorm. All of it is in my head, and my calendars, and therefore atemporal. My mom used to tell me that âtime is squeezed [in Chinese].â If not for student council, I would have found other uses for free time, but I can say for sure that none of these alternatives wouldâve been as rewarding.
Why was it important for you to be involved in extracurricular activities?
Proaño: Because it defines who I am. I strongly believe in engaging in our community and being of service to others. The experience is extremely rewarding. It is an enjoyment to work with those who are also passionate about improving the community we live in, our Faculty of Dentistry. Collective efforts in all these activities have been like a team sport, where the goals is building the teamâs capacity rather than individual performance. It has been a privilege to contribute to committees and groups fostering the student experience here, such as Research Day, the Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Studentsâ Society (GPDSS), the Graduate Education Committee and the MSc Dental Public Health Candidate Selection Committee.
Sharma: Being involved in extracurricular activities was important to me because it allowed me to contribute to the student experience in a meaningful way while growing beyond academics. Dental school is a rigorous journey, and I wanted to be part of creating a supportive and engaging environment for my peers.
Coming from an international background, getting involved also helped me build a sense of belonging. It gave me the opportunity to connect with others not just as students, but as individuals, creating deeper connections and long-term friendships that extend beyond school. These experiences shaped me in my role and reinforced my belief that the impact we have on each other during this journey is just as important as our academic achievements.
Wo: I think it is important to strive to first be a good person, especially in the healthcare field. I think extracurricular activities are important for the education and training of students. These roles help us transition to leaders in our communities, both professionally and personally. Remembering this helped me select a few roles and volunteering projects that aligned with my goals, and became something I looked forward to in dental school. I really wanted my classmates to enjoy their four years here, and I found that any changes I can create to ease the stresses students have enriched various aspects of my life.
Yen: Being involved in extracurricular activities has been essential to my growth as a leader, lifelong learner, and servant to others. While dental school helps me develop strong clinical and academic foundations, my extracurricular involvements have allowed me to cultivate many of the interpersonal and leadership skills that are equally important in dentistry. Through my various experiences, I have honed my ability to communicate effectively, collaborate with diverse teams, solve problems creatively, and remain resilient when facing challenges.
My long-term aspirations of becoming an orthodontist, educator and community leader require the ability to connect with people, lead with empathy, and contribute meaningfully to the communities I serve. My extracurricular activities have provided tremendous opportunities to develop these qualities while making a positive impact on those around me.
Along this journey, I strive to maintain a growth mindset and approach new challenges. Ultimately, these opportunities have shaped me into a more well-rounded individual who is committed not only to personal success, but also to uplifting and serving the community around me.
Zhu: Back in undergrad, I was pigeonholed into academics, the same way that many of my DDS classmates were, just because it was so difficult to get into dental school. I forfeited many hobbies, especially those that were deemed âunrelatedâ to my dental school application. But my undergraduate experience was not a very happy one. I had become increasingly one-dimensional, conflating my education with my identity in a way that made me disappear from the narrative of my own life. These past few years I have diversified my hobbies and picked up previous ones; I made a lot of friends. I think it is important to surround yourself with different kinds of people because this way, you learn to appreciate others, and not limit yourself in the type of life you can lead. Decisions and mistakes no longer feel so final, because there are so many ways to be.
Top photo: Diego Proaño, Tanvi Sharma, Lynda Wo, Matthew Yen and Joyce Zhu