Standout dental student pairs relentless focus, quiet acts of compassion

The first time Isabella Burgess understood the impact of dentistry, she stood quietly in a treatment room during a summer break from college. A patient arrived anxious and uncertain and left with the kind of relief that was visible in their face and the way they carried themselves.

That moment stayed with her.

“I realized how beautiful dentistry is,” she said. “People come in with a problem, and the dentist can assess it and sometimes fix it the very same day. That immediacy, the relief, the connection – that is what drew me in.”

That impression never faded. It stayed with her from Division I soccer at Furman University to the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, and now toward orthodontic residency at AU. It gave her vision during her time as a dental student, tenacity as president of the Give a Smile student organization that raises money benefitting underprivileged patients, her academic success with exemplary scholarly achievements and extracurricular activities that led to her being named the 2026 DCG Outstanding Student.

As a midfielder and forward at Furman, Burgess built a record worthy of the school’s D-I soccer classification. She recorded 20 goals and 16 assists in 66 matches and earned honors as the Southern Conference Women’s Player of the Year, a spot on the All-SoCon First Team and a mention on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.

Her soccer teammates saw results. Her dental school classmates also saw a standard.

Carter Shelton, Class of 2026 president and close friend, describes Burgess with familiarity and certainty.

“She’s a lot of fun and has a lot of energy,” he said. “She’s always someone willing to help, and she really knows what she’s doing. Everyone kind of looks to her.”

That presence carried into the classroom.

“She’s always super engaging in class,” Shelton said. “Locked in on the lecture, answering the instructor’s questions. If you had a question, Bella already had it written down and was ready to go.”

He added a consistent observation that runs through nearly every account of her.

“In every aspect of life, she has intense focus,” he said. “And she doesn’t settle for second best. She must be the best.”

At the same time, Shelton points to something quieter but just as defining.

“She never tears others down to build herself up,” he said.

That combination of drive and steadiness shaped how Burgess moved through a demanding program and a tightly connected class community.

Greg Griffin, DMD, who is DCG’s associate dean for student affairs and alumni, described her from the academic support side.

“She is our go-to tutor. An awesome professional, a caring classmate and so helpful to students needing assistance,” he said. “Always willing to take on ‘one more student.’”

Third-year dental student Sophie Holley was one of those students. Holley said that Burgess was her roommate, friend and mentor, especially as one of Holley’s first tutors at DCG.

“She helped me through a lot of the firsts throughout dental school,” Holley said.

From hands-on waxing exams, to fixed crown preparations, to their first 5K run together, Holley said that Burgess always gave more to others than she asked for herself.

“I would bring home my periodontics probe and dentiform and bring them to her while she was eating dinner,” Holley said, with a laugh. “She always was so beyond willing to lend a helping hand and give any advice.”

Holley struggled with the fixed course at first, she said, but then passed seamlessly. Of course she worked hard, but she said Burgess was with her every step of the way. Her professors noticed her improvement and asked what methods she was using.

“When I told them Isabella was my tutor, they said ,’Oh, yes, she is absolutely wonderful and such a hard worker,’” Holley said.

Burgess’ impact often showed up in quiet moments of support – times when classmates needed help but didn’t necessarily want the attention that came with it. Shelton remembers one moment that really stuck with him, when she stepped in to help a classmate avoid being put in an uncomfortable spotlight.

Instead of letting the situation play out in a way that might single the person out, she handled things herself and brought the request forward on their behalf, keeping their identity out of it. Shelton pointed out that later in the program, asking for help like that can feel vulnerable and most people wouldn’t want it out in the open.

That moment, he said, reflected something consistent rather than exceptional: “She is always willing to help,” Shelton said. “Even when it puts her in an uncomfortable position.”

Kevin Eppes, vice president of the Class of 2026, describes another side of that same mentality. He explained that while quiet support is part of Burgess’ mindset, she is more about full commitment in any setting.

“Our first year, we were in the gym doing pullups and she said she could do one,” he said. “She did one and then proceeded to try and do as many as she could, no matter how hard the strain, kicking her legs, didn’t care what it looked like.”

He paused, then clarified what he believes drives it: “Anything she does, she goes to the max with no shame. It’s not to prove a point. It’s just, in her mind, she’s going to give it all she’s got.”

That mindset shows up across academics, athletics and service. It is consistent. And in dental school, that consistency took on new weight.

“Dental school feels like drinking from a firehose,” Burgess said. “Tests every week, classes from 8 to 5, then studying after dinner. You get tired. But there is an end goal; you are going to treat people.”

Even within that intensity, she found connection. In a class of 96 students, Burgess described something unexpected.

“I did not expect a class this size to feel so close,” she said. “We sit together on the Ed Commons benches and just talk about life.”

Shelton saw the same culture from the inside.

“We just sit there and talk,” he said. “That is where you see who people really are.”

Burgess’ role in that environment centered on support. She tutored classmates, helped underclassmen in simulation lab and made herself available beyond her own workload.

“She spends a lot of time tutoring,” Shelton said. “Helping underclassmen progress. She is always willing to listen.”

That listening is another trait peers return to repeatedly.

“She can sit there and listen and not feel like she has to say something,” he said.

Burgess describes teaching and mentorship as something she grew into unexpectedly.

“I never thought I would enjoy teaching,” she said. “But I really do. Helping others progress matters.”

Her journey through dental school also included setbacks that accentuated why helping people matters. During her second year, she faced a hand injury while managing a demanding clinical schedule.

“It forced me to lean on people more than I expected,” she said.

Classmates carried her equipment and professors gave her grace, so she didn’t fall behind.

That experience reshaped her outlook.

“Asking for help does not mean you have failed,” she said. “It means you recognize you do not have to do everything alone.”

That willingness to rely on others mirrors the support Burgess offers in return.

“No dental office has just a dentist,” she said. “It takes a team.”

Her relationships with patients reflect that same philosophy. She sees dentistry not only as technical work, but as human connection built over time.

“You build relationships with patients,” Burgess said. “Sometimes listening is more important than anything happening that day in the mouth.”

And as graduation looms, those relationships can make departures emotional.

“It has been sad saying goodbye to some patients,” she said. “They want to know where I am going. You realize how meaningful those connections are.”

Even as her DCG pre-doctoral student journey ends and she moves into practice, she resists finality and remains focused on growth.

“The biggest mistake is thinking you know everything when you graduate,” Burgess said. “We are still baby dentists. You stay humble and keep learning.”

That mindset led her toward orthodontics, where she will begin residency at DCG this fall. The specialty reflects her interest in structure, problem-solving and long-term transformation.

“It feels like solving a puzzle,” she said. “It is also physics. But more than that, it is about helping someone build confidence in their smile and their health.”

Shelton sees her continuity from dental student to orthodontics clearly.

“She is always ready to help her friends even when she is busy,” he said. “Her resume is vast, but she still shows up for people.”

For Burgess, the thread that ties everything together is not achievement alone, but effort applied fully and consistently, whether in a clinic, a classroom, a gym or a quiet moment helping someone else avoid embarrassment.

“I want people to feel cared for,” she said. “Not just treated.”