Five years after graduating from high school and working in a variety of jobs in her hometown of Bemidji, Mya Goodfellow had a revelation — she wanted to change her life.

“I wanted something that gave me more purpose than serving food and drinks to people,” she said. “I saw NTC’s Dental Assisting program and thought, ‘that could be really interesting and fun.’ So that led me here.”

Goodfellow said the program combines her loves of interacting with and helping people, and in the early months of her experience she has found it to be a perfect fit.

“I have loved it so far. The teachers and faculty have been amazing,” she said.

Goodfellow says a big part of NTC’s appeal is its small size and accessible staff.

“There aren’t a thousand kids here every single day, so it’s super nice being so intimate and not being able to get lost,” she said.

Being away from school for a few years created some challenges, but she credited NTC’s front-office staff for their support — from helping her navigate initial complexities of applying and enrolling for classes to working through financial aid processes. She also celebrated Nicole Naasz, coordinator of NTC’s American Indian Resource Center, for providing much-needed support.

“This brain was slow rolling after five years of no school,” Goodfellow said. “She’s been helping me with learning tools, study habits, practicing for tests and just anything else.”

Goodfellow says one key to her success at NTC has been the Delta Dental Equity and Education Scholarship, which covers her full cost of tuition and fees and provides a housing stipend.

“It’s been immaculate,” Goodfellow said. “The scholarship has helped me not work and actually be able to go home after school and study for a couple of hours, then get to bed at a reasonable time.”

That study time has proven to be crucial in a challenging program that includes courses on radiology, clinical assisting, emergency management, and working with a variety of patients. She points to a biomaterials course as being particularly challenging.

“Biomaterials has been tough for me,” she admitted. “You’re learning how to make implants and dentures and retainers with stone and plaster and chemicals, and that is frustrating for me.”

But, thanks to the time she has for studying, she’s succeeding — “one chapter at a time,” she said.

She also has received excellent support from NTC’s Dental Assisting faculty, Terri Bannor and Siau Yean Montgomery.

“They’re very mom-like,” Goodfellow said. “They’re on you, but they understand stuff happens — and if you ask them for help, they’ll help you. They want what’s best for us and want to help. They’ve been awesome.”

She thanked the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation for supporting students like her through the scholarship program and said the true value of their support may not be immediately obvious.

“They won’t fully understand the capacity that this scholarship has for students,” she said. “It’s more helpful than they realize. My amount of stress about college goes from 100 down to 20, which is amazing.”

Though she’s only two months into her college journey, Goodfellow would have no hesitation about recommending NTC to anyone who would ask.

“I would definitely tell them that NTC would be the place to go,” she said. “They have everything and beyond here.”