Thursday, June 25 marked a day of collaboration and cultural exchange at the UMKC School of Dentistry! We welcomed dental hygiene students from Jinju Health College, based in Jinju, South Korea, to spend the afternoon with our own Division of Dental Hygiene.

The visit kicked off with a lunch that brought the students together, allowing them to mingle and connect. Conversation ranged from similarities and differences in their dental hygiene programs to college life and shared interests. Jinju Health College students could even be heard teaching their UMKC peers conversational Korean phrases!

Following lunch, the group traveled down to the clinic, where students from Jinju shadowed our senior dental hygiene students for the remainder of the afternoon. Google Translate proved to be a valuable tool, helping students communicate more easily.

The students departed after the clinic session, marking the end of the fifth annual visit from Jinju Health College as part of a summer exchange program with the University of Missouri System.

We are grateful to the University of Missouri Asian Affairs Center, the UMKC School of Dentistry Office of Student Programs, and our Division of Dental Hygiene for making this event possible year after year. It is wonderful opportunity for students to see a different environment, learn new things, and build connections with each other. We look forward to welcoming students from Jinju Health College again next year!

See more photos from the day here.