JTC 2024: An Unconventional Path

Emilie Mai has always known that she wanted to be a dentist. When the Brandon native enrolled as a freshman at the University of Mississippi, she chose an allied health major on the pre-dentistry track, but she knew this was not the right fit for her.

She looked at all the available majors and settled on chemistry, specifically forensic chemistry.

"Chemistry has always been one of my favorite subjects, and I am a huge true crime fan," she said. "I thought pursuing forensics would be a good path for me while staying on the pre-dental track."

Although she had never changed her mind on becoming a dentist, she wanted a major that she could use as a second option if she ever wanted to pursue a different career. By majoring in forensic chemistry, Mai had an opportunity to intern with the FBI at the Birmingham Field Office during her junior year.

"My favorite part about the internship was being able to role play for agents and other federal officials going through training," she said. "I was able to role-play at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, while they were going through bomb training.

"I role-played as someone whose arm or leg got blown off or someone who died. I was also able to help the agents while they were going through negotiation training."

The balance between forensics and dentistry has helped Mai to discover multiple ways of working with and caring for others, she said.

"It was nice to see the other side of helping people, not just the health care side, since I'm pre-dental," she said. "It was really eye-opening to work directly with special agents."

Sovent Taylor, director of the Health Professions Advising Office, worked closely with Mai over the years, especially during her time applying for dental school.

"Emilie is just a phenomenal person and student," Taylor said. "I can't speak enough to her character and her intelligence. She was a joy to work with.

"I'm extremely happy and excited for her for choosing to get out of her comfort zone and go out of state for dental school, as she has been in Mississippi for her entire life."

After graduating from Ole Miss in May, Mai plans to attend dental school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

When choosing a graduate program, she prioritized finding an environment that would allow her to meet new people and force her to branch out. She said that her growth fostered by the supportive environment at Ole Miss was a really important part of her journey.

"I always knew I wanted to be super involved in college since I was in high school," Mai said. "Being able to join multiple extracurricular activities helped me make a lot of friends as well as beneficial connections."

Mai's time as a teaching assistant and an instructor for supplemental instruction were her most notable extracurriculars.

"They helped me become a better teacher because that is something I would like to be, a dentist school professor," she said. "It's been great to see how different people learn and figuring out how I teach has been a useful tool."

Mai said that although Oxford is a small town, it is a big small town that has given her opportunities to meet incredible people.

"I've made a great community with my professors and friends who have always had my back," she said. "I would tell anyone coming to Ole Miss to try their best to meet as many people as they can. You never know where you might find your best friend."

See more photos from Emilie Mai's Journey to Commencement