Education Turns into a Family Affair for UEI Morrow Dental Assistant Student

Every day after she arrived home from school, Sydney Taylor’s kids wanted to know the same thing.

“What did you do today, Mommy?”

Sometimes she would show them how dental tools worked. Other times, she’d explain what she learned about X-rays or how to properly clean teeth. Over time, these conversations turned into friendly competitions over grades, homework, or honor roll certificates.

“My son started saying, ‘I need to step up my game,’” Sydney said. “And honestly, his grades soared after that.”

Sydney said these moments represented something bigger than school. They were signs a shift was happening throughout her household — a growing belief that with a little focus and a bit more effort, life could look different than it had in the past.

This evolution at home began when Sydney enrolled in the Dental Assistant program at UEI in Morrow, Georgia. Her goal was to simply improve her own career options and perhaps provide greater stability at home.

What turned out to be happening, though, was her confidence grew and she realized she was capable of accomplishing far more than she once believed.

Striving to Build a Better Future

Before going to UEI, Sydney spent most of her time focusing on raising and supporting her children. She worked the occasional job at fast-food restaurants and retail stores, but mostly she stayed at home caring for her family.

When her kids got older, though, she began to think more seriously about what kind of future she wanted for her family. She didn’t want her children to grow up believing struggle and instability were a normal part of life.

“I looked around and thought, this isn’t what I planned for them,” she said. “I wanted more.”

She had long been interested in healthcare work, but she couldn’t imagine herself working as a nurse. Dentistry, however, fell right within her personality.

“There’s just something fascinating about teeth,” Sydney said. “And I love helping people smile. It’s just who I am.”

When she started researching schools with dental assistant programs, UEI immediately stood out. The Morrow campus was close to home, the online reviews were positive, and the environment “just felt like home,” she said.

Dental Assistant instructor Alisha Holmes and Associate Director of Education Gloria Hardamon reinforced this feeling through their immediate support and encouragement.

“They became my rocks beyond my fiancé and my kids,” Sydney said. “They made sure I was always doing what I needed to do to keep going and succeed in the field.”

Success Carries Over to the Home

But Sydney’s biggest surprise about her UEI experience was how much it changed the atmosphere at home. Her children became deeply invested in her success.

“Every time that I got something, like making the Honor Roll, they were just so happy with me,” she said. “When I would come home, I would show them different little things, bring things home to help them clean their teeth … it was a whole family affair.”

Sydney said their attitudes and behaviors actually began improving as they watched her stay disciplined and committed to something so important.

“They saw me locking in and taking school seriously,” she said. “And they started taking themselves more seriously, too.”

That motivation helped Sydney push through difficult moments during the program. Along with the normal stress that comes with balancing parenting, finances, and school, she openly discusses struggling with mental health challenges during her time at UEI.

At several points, she said she considered giving up. But instead, she leaned on the support system around her.

“UEI really cared,” she said. “Not just about me as a student, but about me as a person.”

She credits instructors and advisors with helping her stay focused during difficult stretches, checking in regularly and reminding her that she could succeed even when she doubted herself. That support helped her thrive academically, and that carried over into her externship.

From Externship to Career

At Beautiful Smiles Dentistry, where Sydney was placed as an extern, she quickly became known for staying busy, asking questions, and connecting naturally with patients and families.

“I come from the mindset that if you can lean, you can clean,” she said. “I don’t like sitting around.”

Her initiative paid off. While still completing her externship, she was hired by the practice and even trusted to help train other employees.

“They started saying, ‘Syd loves the kids,’” she said. “But I make connections with the families as well as the kids.”

That experience, she said, reinforced that pediatric dentistry was exactly where Sydney belonged.

Looking ahead, she’d like to continue working as a dental assistant for the next year or two before returning to school to become a dental hygienist. Eventually, she hopes to combine her clinical experience with community outreach by launching a mobile dental cleaning business that serves low-income neighborhoods, schools, and nursing homes.

“I want to make the community better than how I found it,” she said.

For Sydney, that goal reflects the same mindset that pushed her to enroll at UEI in the first place: creating opportunities not only for herself, but for others around her.

“I kind of make a joke that God gave me this smile to make other people smile,” she said. “That’s part of my calling. I want to help people smile confidently.”

“There’s something so fascinating about teeth, especially with the kids,” she added. “When I take their X-rays and get to see their baby teeth and their adult teeth coming in, it makes me think about how I love dentistry.”