‘Congrats Mommy!’: Mom of 3 crushes dental school with community support

What would it take to move your entire life – young children, pets, jobs – halfway across the country? For first-generation college student and new Dental College of Georgia graduate Amber Thomas, it took family, community and an answered prayer.

Thomas knew she wanted to be a dentist since elementary school. As a little girl growing up in a small Texas town, dentistry wasn’t just a future job; it was her safe space. She broke her front teeth in fifth grade, and her dentist’s office became a place that felt secure and cheerful.

“I was an athlete, so I kept breaking them,” Thomas laughed, recounting her years of softball, basketball, track, cheer and tennis. 

But coming from a family with little professional background and no college graduates, her dream seemed distant, if not impossible.

“I was a first-generation college student,” Thomas recalled. “We didn’t have much. Dentistry was this far-off dream, and life took me in a very different direction at first.”

Thomas enrolled at Texas A&M University as a psychology major — not because she wanted to become a psychologist, but because it seemed practical. She worked summer jobs in human resources to put herself through school and never expected her degree to lead anywhere specific. After graduating, she landed a job in corporate recruiting. It was stable. It made sense. But it wasn’t her dream.

Then, one day, she paused and thought, “I think I’m ready to pursue my dream of dentistry.”

She hadn’t taken a single dental prerequisite course in undergrad, but she made the decision to go back to school and start over. Around that time, she got married, and just two months later, she and her husband, John, found out they were expecting twins. By their first anniversary, they were parents of newborns.

“My plan didn’t include being a stay-at-home mom with twins at 26,” she said. “But that’s where I found myself.”

She stepped away from school temporarily – first for 10 months after the twins, then again after having their third child – but the dream never left her.

Though she wasn’t accepted into dental school on her first application, she got in on the second try. It meant uprooting everything — selling their Texas home, moving across the country and stepping into the unknown. But Thomas was determined. She and her family prayed for clarity, and her prayer was answered.

“We prayed that if we were supposed to stay in Augusta, God would make it hard to leave. And he did,” she said.

Augusta University and the Dental College of Georgia were top on her list for two reasons: the people and the location.

“I think the community stood out most. We randomly took our kids to the park, and we went and played pickleball,” Thomas said. “We didn’t know any of these people, but they struck up conversations like we’ve known each other for years. My husband’s friend was like, ‘That would never happen where I live.’”

Another plus was that John’s job as a legal recruiter required him to spend a great deal of time in Atlanta, so he would be able to reduce his time away from the family.

Now settled in Martinez, Georgia, the Thomases have built a life rooted in faith, community and family. Their daughters — Ellie and Finley, who will be 9 in August, and Tyler, almost 7 — love their school, their friends and their neighborhood. Thomas said moving was the best decision they ever made.

Dental school wasn’t easy. Between raising three young kids and the intense demands of a professional program, Thomas leaned heavily on her faith, her husband and a “village” of support that included church members, neighbors, babysitters and classmates.

“My husband is my rock. He fully funded my dental school journey and has been my biggest cheerleader every step of the way,” she said. “There were a lot of tears, especially from him, when I passed my boards. Watching my husband, a 41-year-old man, start to cry – he does not cry.”

Thomas was deeply involved in Christian Medical and Dental Associations, serving as vice president for two years and volunteering at clinics both locally and abroad. She served as a volunteer at Mercy Health Clinic in Athens, the Baptist Mobile Health Ministry dental van and even on a dental mission trip to Nicaragua over spring break last year. Her time gave her fulfillment and exposure to a world of hands-on patient cases.

“DCG has been a big blessing for me,” she said.

Even when she faced a surprise medical issue and surgery during her second year of school, her professors and classmates rallied around her.

“I think about my classmates and how amazing they were in making sure I didn’t fall behind. I went to each of my professors, and they were so accommodating and understanding. It’s been a wonderful experience,” she said.

Thomas completed her undergraduate degree at 22 years old. Now, at 35, she has graduated again, stepping into the profession she dreamed about for decades. Starting July 8, she’ll be working at two private practices — Myers Family Dental with Alan and Eliza Myers, DMDs, and with Melissa Jordan, DMD, at Magnolia Family Dentistry.

“I had hoped to do a residency, but John said, ‘I think we’re ready to be done with school,’ and I had to agree,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m so excited. These are the kinds of practices where I’ll grow quickly.”

Amber didn’t hesitate to identify the hardest part of her dental school journey: “Being away from my kids and husband. Missing those moments,” she said.

But the most rewarding?

“Seeing them cheer me on. Coming home after passing my boards and seeing a sign that said, ‘Congrats Mommy!’ with my three girls jumping up and down – that made everything worth it,” she said.

Thomas hopes her daughters take something deeper from this chapter of their family’s story.

“Even in my personal statement, I talked about wanting to be the example I didn’t have — someone who showed them that you can chase a dream, no matter where you start or how long it takes,” she said.

And to others considering a similar path?

“Work hard. Don’t make excuses. Find your people, and it will all work out. And always remember your ‘why.’ For me, it’s my husband and my girls. They are my reason and my reward.”