May 8, 2017

Meet Dawnelle Park DDS of Torrance

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawnelle Park.

Dawnelle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in San Jose, California but raised primarily in Northern Virginia. Most of my education was completed in Virginia including a BS in Civil Engineering and BA in Sociology from George Mason University. After a few years working as transportation engineer in Northern Virginia and longing for a more direct impact with my community, I switched careers to dentistry. After graduating in 2011 from UCLA Dental School (Go Bruins!) and completing a general practice residency at West LA VA Hospital, I began my journey in the dental profession and haven’t looked back. Due to my husband’s career, I have lived and practiced in various cities in northern and southern California.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I am lucky in that I have been blessed with a loving and supportive family my whole life. My parents were always very supportive of my decisions and I believe that support was the key factor in helping me overcome any obstacles that I may have encountered. My decision to switch careers to dentistry was made after I was married and my husband was my greatest proponent. I could not have succeeded without his love and understanding. Honestly, I think my most difficult challenge was a self-inflected one – when I decided to start a family during the most grueling year of dental school and right before the board exam!

Dawnelle Park DDS – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our office provides comprehensive general dentistry to both children and adults. It is very family oriented with our patients consisting of many generations. The office is small with only four individual operatories which allows for intimacy and comfort. The whole staff really enjoy working not only with the patients but also together as a team and I believe that enhances the patients’ experience in a positive way. I believe that the honesty, compassion, professionalism and dedication to patient care and quality dentistry is what makes our office exceptional.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I would have to start by saying that I believe success is defined very differently by every individual and that it often changes throughout one’s lifetime. For me, personally, at this time of my life, I would say success is maintaining balance with my professional and personal life. Trying to juggle three children between the ages of 3 and 7 with owning a practice can be challenging but I find it has been the most rewarding and satisfying time of my life.

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