Filling the Gap
Smile Heroes
The Trailblazing Class of 2025
By PJ Vierra, Ph.D.
On a sunny May morning at El Paso’s historic Plaza Theatre, 40 newly minted dentists crossed the stage, wearing black academic gowns trimmed in colors never before seen on the university’s commencement stage: lavender and purple velvet, each representative of a dentariae medicinae doctor (Doctor of Dental Medicine, or D.M.D.).
Cheers from families and supporters filled the theater for the Class of 2025: the first-ever graduates of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine. As students, they blazed trails across dental deserts extending farther than a West Texas horizon, where many adults and children are hesitant to smile due to a lack of accessible oral health care.
Trained in medical Spanish, they speak the language of the frontera — literally and figuratively — prepared to serve all communities, from city to countryside.
They leave Texas Tech Health El Paso with not only a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree but also a community health certificate that prepares them to address public health challenges related to poor oral care, such as diabetes and heart disease. Four graduates earned Master of Public Health degrees through a joint program with UT Health Houston.
Their diversity reflects Texans hailing from Amarillo to the Rio Grande Valley. Each arrived in El Paso driven by a deeply personal reason: a determination to change the oral health story for families who’ve waited too long for access to a dentist’s chair.
First Class: Get to know some members of the historic Class of 2025
Dr. Steven Venzor
Raised in El Paso’s Mission Valley, Dr. Steven Venzor balanced college coursework with part-time jobs to help his family. When he received a GECU Foundation scholarship to attend the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, emotions overwhelmed him.
“I broke down in tears because of how significant this opportunity was,” he said. “Scholarships are so rare at this level. I truly consider myself blessed — to stay home, to be homegrown and to do things the right way.”
Now this hometown son joins Dentistry 4 Kids, where Dr. Venzor will treat children of all ages, proving that the brightest opportunities can bloom in your own backyard.
Dr. Anna Ceniceros
The daughter of migrant farmworkers from Clarendon, Texas, Dr. Anna Ceniceros still keeps the puppy-toothbrush sticker a school dentist gave her at age 7.
Reflecting on her clinical training, she recalled, “One of my patients told me I gave him back his smile. He never wanted to smile before. Now, he says he always wants to smile — and he couldn’t wait to see me graduate.”
After graduation, she took her D.M.D. and community health certificate home to the Texas Panhandle, joining an Amarillo practice. “I’m excited to begin this next chapter and give back to the community that raised me,” said Dr. Ceniceros.
Dr. Michelle Ortiz
For Dr. Michelle Ortiz, dentistry is a family affair. Her mother is a dental hygienist, and Dr. Ortiz worked as a dental assistant and speech therapist before entering the Hunt School of Dental Medicine.
“When the school opened in El Paso, I knew this was my chance to fulfill that dream while serving my community.” This summer, Dr. Ortiz joined the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, blending bilingual care with cultural competency to ensure tribal elders and children alike can smile without pain.
Dr. Georgia Hejny
Growing up on a farm in Venus, Texas—population 8,000—Dr. Georgia Hejny learned early that an aching tooth could cost an entire day’s work. The nearest dentist was a two-hour drive away.
At the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, Hejny found a curriculum as hands-on as farm life. She crafted dentures for a patient who’d lost his upper teeth, then watched him grin at his own reflection for the first time in years. Moments like that propelled her toward orthodontics, a specialty that shapes confidence as much as alignment.
Dr. Hejny and classmate Dr. Gentry Nielson secured the only two orthodontic residency spots at UT Health Houston, edging out applicants from other Texas dental schools.
“I always knew I wanted to make a difference in small towns like mine,” Dr. Hejny said. “I never dreamed I’d be part of something so groundbreaking. It’s been an incredible ride!”
Fulfilling the Mission
• The Hunt School of Dental Medicine was established to address a shortage of dental providers in our Borderplex and in far West Texas counties that are vastly underserved.
• When the school opened in 2021, West Texas had one dentist for every 4,840 residents, about one-third the national average.
• Of the pioneering Class of 2025, 43% have committed to practice in West Texas. Thirty percent will stay in our Borderplex to start their careers.
The Class of 2025:
By the Numbers
• Each student logged 3,500 clinical hours. They began caring for patients in their first semester.
• Over four years, the class delivered more than 6,000 low-cost procedures to patients, from children to older adults.
• The class celebrated a flawless 100% board-exam pass rate and 10 coveted residency matches across the U.S., from Yale to the University of Washington.
Texas Tech Health El Paso Magazine, Fall 2025