The Class of 2026 crossed the stage this spring as graduates of the UAB School of Dentistry, closing a chapter shaped by long days in clinic, early mornings in lecture halls, and steady progress into patient care.
Over the past four years, students moved from simulation into clinical training, building the skills and judgment required in practice. Faculty guidance and close collaboration with peers carried them through a curriculum that demands both precision and endurance. Along the way, classmates became colleagues, and a sense of shared experience took hold across clinics, classrooms, and outreach settings.
That progression can be seen across the class. Peyton Billingsley was first featured as a D1 student just beginning the program and now graduates as part of the Class of 2026, marking the full arc of training from entry to practice.
Faculty worked alongside students as they moved into patient care, providing guidance in real time while allowing them to build confidence and judgment in the clinic. Close collaboration with peers carried them through a curriculum that demands precision and endurance, where learning to care for patients and communicate with them becomes as important as developing technical skill. For Hannah Thomas, those lessons took shape through both faculty mentorship and patient relationships built over time.
For Jade Kim and Suyeon Kim, that work extended beyond the clinic into community-based efforts focused on communication and access to care as Albert Schweitzer Fellows. Projects like theirs grew from the clinical foundation built at UAB and the relationships formed alongside it.
Others brought different perspectives into that work. Edwin Miguel Rojas, a D.M.D./Ph.D. student who earned his Ph.D. in 2024, arrived at UAB from outside the region and developed within a program that combines clinical care with a strong legacy of student research.
Alesia Shaaban traveled more than 5,000 miles to study at UAB. Here, she found support through classmates, faculty mentorship, and clinical training as she adapted to a new educational environment.
Class president Evan Parker followed a different route. A UAB Honors College graduate, he arrived at dentistry after searching for a path in medicine and remained at UAB for dental school. Last year, he returned to the Honors College Medallion Ceremony as a speaker, marking a full circle moment at the university. His path highlights continuity in training and mentorship, along with a focus on clinical preparedness as he graduates.
That same sense of purpose appears in different ways across the class. For Baleigh Robertson, giving back to others remains closely tied to her rural roots.
Daniel Bobbitt’s journey included time in the Japan student exchange program, an experience that broadened his perspective as he prepared for a career in practice.
Commencement brought those experiences together in a single moment. One by one, Class of 2026 graduates walked the stage, greeted by faculty and family members who had followed their progress from the first days of training to program completion.