Transition Hawaii

Health Services: Feature Pathway

Health Services

Dental Hygienist: Diane Kockelman

As a kid, Diane Kockelman always loved going to the dentist. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she never had any cavities. (Or perhaps it had something to do with the lollypops handed out afterward.) Whatever it was, she grew up and turned that childhood fascination into a rewarding career.

When Diane graduated from Leilehua and enrolled at UH-M?noa, she knew she wanted a career that allowed her to help others. She was enrolled in the school of social work when a friend told her about the dental hygiene program in the nursing school.

Intrigued, Diane decided to apply. The dental hygiene program is unique in the country in that it is the only baccalaureate program with a three-year major area—by the time they graduate, students have gained diverse experience in the field.

“Oh gosh,” Diane says when she looks back to the coursework of the first year. “It was all science; it was very difficult.”

In the second year, students begin working with patients and, in the third year, they work with a periodontist on advanced cases and surgeries.(Read more)