RSDM Class of 2024 Student Returns to Roots

Olga Lorenzo, Class of '24 Olga Lorenzo grew up in her mother’s dental office, but it was a volunteer mission trip to the Dominican Republic in her mid-20s that cinched her decision to pursue dentistry. “I remember some days I would play and do my homework at the kids’ table in the waiting room,” said Lorenzo, a second-year student at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. “I was interested in my mom’s work growing up, but I didn’t think I would follow in her footsteps.” During high school and college, Lorenzo worked first as receptionist and then as office manager at her mother’s general practice in Rutherford. She double-majored in accounting and criminal justice at Rutgers Business School.  Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms, hired her as an auditor. From day one, as she worked late into the night in a cramped, windowless room, she knew the job was not a good fit. “I realized I hated accounting,” she recalled. Lorenzo stuck it out nearly 2½ years and earned a certified public accounting license. Finally, she quit. While figuring out her next step, Lorenzo managed renovations at a Rutherford building her mother and sister bought for new offices. Her sister is a pediatric dentist. When Lorenzo’s mother broke her arm in 2015, Lorenzo took her spot on a volunteer trip with the Dr. Almanzar Foundation to the Dominican Republic, where her parents are from. Medical professionals spend a week each year providing free health care to people in underserved communities. Lorenzo assisted the volunteer dentists. “That’s when something went off in my head,” she said. When she returned, Lorenzo enrolled in the postbaccalaureate program at Rutgers-Newark to earn the prerequisites needed for dental school.  RSDM “was my top school. It had a great clinical reputation and a diverse student body,” the 32-year-old said. “I really like the sense of community.” Accepted in December 2018, Lorenzo found out two weeks later she was pregnant. She deferred enrollment until the fall of 2020. “After all these years, I feel very grateful I’ve been given this opportunity to fulfill my dreams,” said Lorenzo, who lives in Belleville with her husband, Jo, and daughter, Florence. Lorenzo intends to practice general dentistry alongside her mother when she graduates. ###