A profile of Outstanding Student Trent Temple
–by Amy Stourac, Kirkwood Communique’
Hanging in the Kirkwood Community College Dental Technology lab is a poster that says, “A smile is a work of art, and you’re the artist.”
This art has become the passion and purpose of Kirkwood Health Science department’s Outstanding Student of the year, Trent Temple. He graduated from Keota High School in 2006, then attended Kettering University, a private engineering college in Michigan, where he majored in mechanical engineering.
After a year and a half, Temple realized that sitting at a desk was not the work he wanted to do. “I like to work on cars, motorcycles, boats, tractors and woodworking…anything hands-on,” he said.
Temple returned to Iowa and worked in construction for another six months. Then his mom, a dental hygienist, suggested dental technology. Turns out Mom was right, and Temple, 22, has just completed his final term in the program. “It was fun…enjoyed every part of it. I finally found my calling,” said Temple, a Coralville resident.
Currently completing his internship at Midwest Perfection, a dental technology lab in Davenport, Temple plans to work for a year and save money for a trip to California. There he hopes to get accepted into UCLA’s Master’s Ceramist program.
“It’s the only one n the nation,” he observed. “Candidates fly out to Los Angeles and stack some units for them, and they decide if you’re good enough to start the program,” Temple said.
Trent Temple said his professor, Betty Mitchell, “pushed me to bring out the best in my work, to go for the gold,” he said.
[Copyright 2010, The Communique’, a student publication of Kirkwood Community College; used by permission.]