Pursuing the Dream of Dentistry

A future career in dentistry may have seemed unlikely for Northampton Community College (NCC) student, Crystal Armstrong, as a child — her parents were terrified of the dentist.  

Still, they ensured that their children received regular dental care. With Armstrong struggling through multiple dental issues as a child, she formed a bond with her dentist. 

“My dentist always listened to me,” Armstrong recalls. “I saw how she genuinely cared about me; she would always answer all my questions. That’s probably how the idea of being a dentist was planted in my brain.” 

Big dreams and large roadblocks  

Many obstacles stood in the way of Armstrong’s path to becoming a dental hygiene major at NCC. No one in Armstrong’s immediate family had a college degree. She faced a difficult childhood, and her high school years took a toll on her grades.  

“I didn’t even know what a GPA was,” she says. “No one ever talked to me about it.”   

Inspired by an aunt who became a lawyer, Armstrong had wanted to attend college since she was young, but she wasn’t accepted to any. Even if she had been, she says, her family couldn’t have afforded it. 

Still, she never gave up on her dreams. Years later, after researching her options, she decided that she had to attend the outstanding dental program at NCC, even though it meant relocating two states away. First, she wanted to get some general requirements out of the way. At age 27, she moved from New York City to Reading, Pennsylvania, to enroll in the community college there while living at her parents’ second home.  

She worked two jobs, including receptionist/insurance coordinator at a pediatric dental office, where she was exposed to dental assisting and sterilization procedures. Unfortunately, she ran out of money for school after one semester.  

“I was so disappointed,” she says. “I felt like I let myself down. I took a leap of faith and fell flat on my face.…But I said, ‘I know I'm meant to be in school however long it takes for me to go back.’” 

A goal confirmed 

Armstrong moved to the Poconos, and after COVID-19, she worked at another dental office, which turned the thought of dentistry as a long-term career into a “soul feeling.”  

“A lot of people are in pain, and you’re able to get them out of it; they’re so grateful,” she says. “Many think of you as a friend. It solidified that this is what I’m meant to do — just really helping people.”   

Armstrong got married in summer 2023 and was thrilled to take a course at NCC’s Pocono campus that fall. Her struggles weren’t over, however: She developed a shoulder injury that took nine months to heal. She pushed through, writing what lecture notes she could, despite the pain, snapping photos of a classmate’s notes, receiving accommodations from NCC, such as expanded time for taking tests, and getting rides to and from campus. 

Although Armstrong ultimately dropped the class at the last moment, she found the experience valuable.  Having moved to Bethlehem, she resumed her education at the Fowler campus the next spring. Since then, she’s maintained a 3.89 GPA while juggling her roles as a student, wife, and mother. 

“My dad had very high expectations of me,” she says. “That’s something I’m grateful for because it gives me the determination to always be the best in anything I’m doing.”  

Guiding others 

Armstrong is also active on campus. In addition to serving as a peer tutor at the Science Resource Center, she’s the member-at-large officer of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, onboarding members, assisting other officers, and helping organize events, such as a community walk this October to support the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.  

“I’m the oldest person in the group,” says Armstrong. “In the beginning, it was a little odd for me, but people tend to gravitate toward me because I'm very open and transparent. They want to get advice from me and hear my story.” 

Her latest obstacle was learning her federal financial aid was being discontinued. While waiting to appeal, she applied for scholarships and received three, including NCC’s Leslie Kingston Tooth Fairy Dental Hygiene Scholarship, the P&G Bridges Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship, and PTK’s Coca Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship. 

“I remember receiving the email regarding the Leslie Kingston award and all the oxygen leaving my lungs,” Armstrong says. “I was in disbelief, and then, I felt so proud of myself. I remember saying, ‘Wow, someone sees what I see.’ ”  

“If I was able to meet my younger self, I would let her know all those dreams were not for nothing,” she adds. “We are accomplishing them one at a time, and we are well on our way!” 

After a successful financial aid appeal, Armstrong is well positioned to pursue her goal of earning an MD and DDS dual degree and becoming an oral surgeon.  

“I want to be in a position where I can help women take care of themselves and go after their goals and dreams,” she says. “And a lot of Hispanics and Blacks shy away from dentists because they don’t have people representing them, which is also true of the medical field. I’m going to show up for them.”