AN ADEA CAAPID Turnaround: Accepted at UMKC and UNC on her 3rd ADEA CAAPID Cycle

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Alyssa: Hi, Cintia. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate your openness to share your story with our community. Because your turnaround is just so remarkable. And now you are done and people would love to hear from you and learn from what you’ve been through, and hopefully not make the same mistakes you made along the way.

Cintia: Yes. Oh, it’s such a pleasure to be here with you today. Thank you very much for inviting me. You know, you can’t imagine how happy I am right now because you know that just a few weeks ago I was in total panic mode, the bench tests, interviews, nonstop study. It was really intense. But now, finally, I feel relieved [00:01:00] and incredibly grateful to have been accepted, and of course, grateful to you for playing such a huge part in my success. You know that, and I’m really excited to share my story and I think it might help other candidates to, you know, help them go through this crazy process in the best way possible and get their, reach their own success in the end.

Alyssa: Yes. And a process this is because it really is long and I think for most everybody, it’s not what they expected it to be. And so there’s just a lot of curve balls along the way and it’s rough. Okay. Let’s start from, first off, you just got invited. I accepted, not invited. Accepted at where?

Cintia: University of Missouri, Kansas City, and University of North Carolina.

Alyssa: Congratulations. Now you [00:02:00] have choices. Yeah. And you, I mean, you have a choice, which is incredible. Okay. And this was, how many cycles did you go through to get this?

Cintia: Yes. Yeah, this is important. I think it’s worth saying that this year actually was my third year applying. The past two years, I only applied to a few schools. But I didn’t get invited to any interviews. So, I remember stopping and asking myself what. Why, what’s going on? You know, I’m a good person. I’m pretty sure I’m a good professional as well, so why not? And I’m not kidding, I remember going to sleep and thinking, ‘I just want an opportunity to be invited to at least one’.

And then I, that’s when I decided that I needed to review my personal statement. and I started [00:03:00] looking for some professional help online, and that’s when I came across International Dentist Central. And I met Kevin.

Alyssa: And I’m so glad you found us and took the leap to actually work with us.

Now tell me. So the previous two years, how did you work on your personal statement? Were you doing it all by yourself?

Cintia: Yes. I asked a person last year to review for me. And she said just a few things that I could change, nothing that special. So I kept, I think I kept making the same mistakes, you know? Only this year that we reviewed and I changed a lot of things in my personal statement, you know? Talking about this, first [00:04:00] I met Kevin and we spoke a couple of times and I remember asking him ‘Kevin, I do want to be accepted this year, so what should I do to get an interview invite?’ And he said ‘yeah, let’s start from the very beginning’. And he reviewed my personal statement and also the way I was describing my professional experience in the CAPPID platform. So the first thing he did was explain how I was coming across when someone read my personal statement. And that completely shifted my mindset, you know?

Alyssa: Ah, so before, you had wrote it, did you apply the two previous years with the same SOP?

Cintia: Not really, because the [00:05:00] two last years I applied for just nearby schools. So I decided this year to go broad, you know? But I’m pretty sure that if I had my personal statement the way it was the past few years,

Alyssa: it was not gonna work. So tell me how the approach that Kevin wanted to take or Kevin took with you and he helped you worked on was different from before. ‘Cause you said it, it blew your mind, but can you think of something concrete? What does it mean? Like why, what shifted?

Cintia: Yeah. The point is, sometimes we think we are being clear, you know? But the way we write isn’t always the way the reader understands it. You know? Because I believe that everybody, or almost everybody has [00:06:00] good stories to tell and interesting experiences to share, but the way we put them into words makes a big difference.

And schools are looking for something specific and we have to understand how they think. So Kevin helped me a lot see that and guided me to rewrite my (personal) statement would come across the right way, and that was a gamechanger for me.

Alyssa: Would you say that your final SOP after you worked with Kevin was completely different? Or would you say it was about, I don’t know, 30% different from what you had originally had before?

Cintia: I think it was completely different the way how I was starting writing things that I decided to cut, you know, like this not good, after talking a lot with him, like [00:07:00] I was thinking about the way the person who was reading, how it came across, you know how I was presenting myself, you know, I was presenting myself in a way that I was not letting them see the real me, you know. The things that I sometimes we think we are being interesting, but sometimes it can be boring. So I think we changed a lot. I changed a lot the way I was describing things there.

Alyssa: Oh, okay. Good to know. And you mentioned that you also talked a little bit about the CAAPID application itself.

Cintia: Yes.

Alyssa: ’cause a lot of people look at the CAAPID application and they go, ‘oh, I just have to write what I did.’ Right? And I’m pretty sure that’s how you approached it, or is that true for the first two years?

Cintia: ‘Cause yeah, because I think as I said, sometimes we think we are being clear, [00:08:00] especially because I sometimes I was describing my specific like, things that I had done in my practice, for example, in my field. But the person that, maybe the person that was reading doesn’t understand what I’m describing, you know, it’s another specialty. So if you can be like, more specific or sometimes more you know it’s been clear, I try to be clear, but more direct in direct way, like with bullet points, you know? It also helped me in that.

Alyssa: That makes sense. So you completely redid your application, your SOP and your CV with Kevin. And you sent your applications in, and this time you did apply [00:09:00] to more schools, which good for you for being open to that.

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: And you did that, and then you started getting interview invites. Now tell me what happened next.

Cintia: What follow was amazing. Up until now, I’ve been invited to six different schools.

Alyssa: Wow.

Cintia: Yeah. And my husband thinks I could even get more because most of the California schools haven’t started sending the invitations yet.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: But as I told you, I’m done. It’s like so exhausting, demanding the process. But, and now of course, I’m happy now, so yeah. And the first, but. Can I tell you about the first what happened with me? The first invitation that I got?

Alyssa: Please.

Cintia: Because the first one I think it’s where the [00:10:00] second important part of my story comes in because it might help others. I was really excited for my first invitation. It was to the University of Alabama, UAB.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And I was like, oh, okay, I will, I will have some time to prepare for the interview first.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And that was my first mistake because I didn’t know that some schools invite you for the bench test first and only if you pass, you get the interview.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And it all happened so fast. Suddenly they mailed me saying, ‘Congratulations, you have your bench test in a couple of days.’ And I was not prepared whatsoever.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And what did I do? I relied on a two day online course that from a YouTuber CAAPID influencer that I had done last [00:11:00] year. And this person said, ‘Oh, bench test. Don’t worry. You will be fine. Just watch my videos. The preps are pretty much the same. They only, they just wanna see if you have hand skills, and sometimes they’, I remember the person said ‘sometimes they want to see if you can at least hold, uh, high speed handpiece and do basic preps.’

Alyssa: Oh dear.

Cintia: And I was like, oh, fine. Nice. I, I can do that. I’ve got hand skills, you know. So yeah, here we go. And guess what? I failed of course.

Alyssa: Oh my gosh.

Cintia: You know, but I actually think that failing UAB was a blessing in disguise because after that I decided to seek professional help with [00:12:00] experts, with experienced instructors, real professionals. So I met you, Dr. Thank God. And it’s changed it changed everything for me. Because can I say about your course?

Alyssa: Yeah, please.

Cintia: Because your course was amazing and helped me a lot. Her course, Dr. Alyssa has tons of videos for each prep you need to know, for every tooth, for every type of preparation, you know, because, for example, prepping the first upper molar is totally different from prepping the first lower molar.

And how to make, for example, that I had to do how to make how to do an MO/OL prep on the first upper [00:13:00] molar. And what makes a full gold crown different from a PFM crown, the best burs to use for every kind type of prep. You know, everything you break down and explain everything really well, and all we have to do is our own preps and take pictures. You teach us to take good pictures and send the pictures to her. And Dr. Alyssa carefully analyzes the pictures and sends detailed feedback in a video she records using the pictures we sent, and in the pictures she points out specific areas where we can improve or things that [00:14:00] we can keep doing, for example. So for me it’s amazing. It was amazing. It was really helpful. And I do recommend it.

Alyssa: Thank you for the very, very sweet words about the course. Now, I do wanna ask you a question. Did you feel like the online course was enough? Because a lot of people are worried, you know, like, oh, we learned dentistry through, like over watching somebody and, um, to, I need to go to a course. Tell me what you, what your experience about that was.

Cintia: I think it’s worth saying that I know many people that pay for expensive one week in person course courses, which are great. you know you definitely learn quite a bit, however you really improve by practicing your preps consistently over [00:15:00] time and getting continuous feedback professional feedback like I did. You know, getting better takes time and the more you practice the more you will improve. So that’s my opinion.

Alyssa: And you did pass the bunch test, so I guess that does say something, ’cause you did fail the first one and then you prepared.

Cintia: And the second one I felt, the second one I felt really prepared and I think I had done really well and I did my best, you know and, yeah. We could see the results.

Alyssa: Yeah. And I mean it, and it worked. And so when you went to the bench test the second time, did you feel like I got this? Or were you like, I’m still scared, like, did anything surprise you at the bench test?

Cintia: No, [00:16:00] nothing surprised me. However, you know, it’s like, it’s so, it’s a stressful situation.

Alyssa: Yeah.

Cintia: I remember after a few daysat UMKC, university of Missouri, Kansas City, after some days there, I remember on the, on the day of the bench test, I went to the restroom at the end of the day.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And I just cried, you know, it was such a mix of feelings. I thought, oh, I had done well but at the same time I was not sure, but I thought I did my best and I think I was hoping for the, for good results and I was crying. I didn’t know exactly why, you know? So I think [00:17:00] especially because the past two months for me had been tough so much going on personally. So it’s a stressful moment in your life, but I felt that I did well. I felt much more prepared, you know, so I think I was. My husband said, I think you were crying because you knew that you had passed.

Alyssa: You made it and you did make it.

Cintia: Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I got accepted. The director of the program called me and said that I did really well on the bench test and I cried again on the phone. Oh my God.

Alyssa: But yeah, that, I mean, ’cause that’s quite a turnaround from not passing a bench test, not even enough to do [00:18:00] the interview itself, to doing a bench test and being personally told by the director that you did very good on your bench test for the second one was a huge turnaround. Now we skipped over the interview completely. Let’s take a moment to talk about your interviews because interview preparation is, can also be very nuanced, but you also had some weaknesses in your profile that concerned you and you had to make sure, well, both for your applications too, but also for your interviews that you were prepared to answer those. So would you mind sharing some weaknesses in your past that you were a little bit worried that would come up?

Cintia: Yes. I was worried a lot about my upcoming interviews. Around that time I was practicing my preps and preparing for the interviews all at once. It was crazy chaos. Yes. Chaotic. [00:19:00] But I kept bugging Kevin for help.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: Not sure how much I annoyed him, but he was amazing. He spent hours with me and he did, basically, he did the same, he did with my personal statement. He helped me understand exactly what the schools are looking for. He showed me how to present myself in a way that really lets them see the real me. He showed me how to steer clear off certain topics in interviews, you know?

Alyssa: Mm.

Cintia: Be a bit controversial and how to get through it if I am put on the spot. So when I hear people say, ‘oh, interviews, ah, don’t worry, just be yourself.’ No, come on. No. I mean, yes, you, you should be yourself, but you also need to be well prepared. You have to know how to grab their attention and keep them [00:20:00] hooked so they can walk away liking you. You know, and I think I’ve learned how to break the ice and turn that interview into more of a conversation. And something else I think to keep in mind is what to do if you don’t know an answer. You know, because sometimes there isn’t a right answer, but I believe there is a right way to respond. So all we need to do is leave that room with a great impression of who we are. .

Alyssa: Okay. So did you come across any questions that were unexpected for you during the interview?

Cintia: Oh yeah.

Alyssa: And how did you deal with it?

Cintia: I think I have an interesting example to share. That something tricky that happened to me during my interview at University of North Carolina UNC, with the second group that was interviewing me. There were four [00:21:00] interviewers in that room, and one of them asked me in that kind of cold straight up way, “tell me about the time that you encountered a cultural misunderstanding among staff at work, and what was the situation and what did you do?” And I remember thinking really fast, ‘that’s never happened to me’. And I smiled and I said, “you know, that’s never actually happened to me. However, I can think of a situation where it could have happened and I can tell you what I might do, or if you prefer, I can share a similar situation with a patient that really happened” and I saw the three other interviewers turning their heads toward me.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Cintia: They seemed way more interested you know, and they said, ‘oh, nice, of [00:22:00] course, tell us about it.’ And I shared the real example of a patient, who refused the treatment plan I proposed because of his religious beliefs. And I explained how I handled it, and I think they really liked it.

Alyssa: That was good thinking because a lot of people, they would struggle in that situation because you were told to you, weren’t asked, ‘did you have a situation’, you were told to ‘tell me about this situation,’ which you have never encountered.

Cintia: No.

Alyssa: And you took that, and you panicked internally, but you didn’t show your panic. You smiled and you turned it around and said, I don’t have this, but I have that.

Cintia: Yeah. I was like, oh, I don’t know how to answer that. But you know, for me, I think the key was, to be honest, be prepared. And stay calm. You know, to tell you the truth, [00:23:00] I had a few ethical scenarios up my sleeve. So whenever I didn’t have a direct answer, I could still respond with a similar, situation. I think it’s really important to pay attention to things that happened to you at work, for example, like I did when I was working as a dental assistant, because you can describe them and use them in your interview.

Alyssa: Absolutely.

Cintia: I think interviews are not just a list of questions and answers are conversations, right? So if you can create a moment to show how fast you can think and how you can make, and how you can make the discussion interesting for them. Awesome.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Very, very good example. And really good job making sure you [00:24:00] had stories to respond with. ’cause this is very important to do.

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: But because I would presume that Kevin kind of gave you a big framework on how to think about everything. Now you were able to prepare stories that fit into this framework.

Cintia: Yes. It was a, a thing that we discussed about because things that I was concerned, like if I don’t, how can I answer if I don’t know the answer, how?

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: You know, things that we can because they want to talk, they want to see you. They, it is not a checklist that; okay, this is right, no, this is wrong. I don’t believe it’s like this, and you know when I left the room, I thought, oh, let’s see if it worked, if I made it or not. But I think there was, there was a person over there [00:25:00] that said, oh, I think they liked the way you handled things. I think they wanna see you like this how you handle things, how you can answer and how you can talk. They want to talk about things that they like to, they want to make a good conversation, you know, with you.

Alyssa: Absolutely.

Cintia: Kevin taught me a lot about how to stay calm, talk how to talk. They want to see you talking about things that can be interesting.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. If I understand your background correctly, you know what, I just realized that we never touched upon your actual, like, your stats. You know how like people love to hear about that. So can we take a moment to talk about that part just so that people have a good framework to understand what your background was?

Cintia: Yeah. I am orthodontist.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: So I was [00:26:00] working as an orthodontist for many years, the last years of my life. Almost 10 years.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Cintia: So it was really hard for me when I had to practicing the preps because, you know, I, to be honest, I can’t remember the last time I did prep, like for a full good crown.

Alyssa: Right.

Cintia: But we are dentists you know the basic concepts. We can, if you have time.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: You can. You can remember, you can study and you can improve and be ready for the bench test. But it was my first concern when I figured that, oh, they have bench tests. The schools are going to ask me for bench test. Oh my gosh. How it’s gonna work. So but I kept practicing [00:27:00] and you helped me a lot. What else about my background?

Alyssa: Yeah, what is your GPA? So you have two GPAs, right?

Cintia: Oh, yeah. You know I’ve seen many candidates with really great stats, like high GPAs, TOEFL score over a hundred, substantial experience, and yet not getting a single invitation.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: So that’s why I believe it’s important to stand out in your personal statement and interview and bench test because I think even if your GPA is not that high, it was my case. I will tell you about it, but even if your GPA was not that high, you can still get a really good chance of getting invited if you present yourself in the [00:28:00] right way and highlight interesting stories for the admissions committee.

You know I am a good example because I told my husband, oh, my GPA is not that high. It was 2.94.

Alyssa: Oh, that was my exact GPA 2.94.

Cintia: And I was praying for some schools because I’ve heard that some schools they accept WES.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: In WES, my GPA was much better. 3.7 I think 3.7, something like that. But one thing that’s interesting, UNC, University of North Carolina ,they said we do not accept, we don’t accept WES, only ECE. And I was like, oh how can [00:29:00] I manage that? Because my GPA was not that high. So I think if I can, if I had to give some advice for the other candidates so it would be, ‘don’t worry too much with your GPA, you can stand out in other things, you know be prepared for other things.’

Alyssa: That really is a point where a lot of people are worried about. So, actually, let me ask you, ’cause some people ask me this exact question. ‘My GPA is really low. Do I explain why it’s low in my personal statement?’ So did you have any explanation in terms of why your GPA was so low in your personal statement?

Cintia: No.

Alyssa: So what’d you do about it?

Cintia: No I was prepared to say something about this during my interview if they’d ask me. So if they ask me, I will, I would say things that I. [00:30:00] Because, you know in my country this is not a common thing that they don’t care too much about GPA, and I was pretty sure that I was a good student during my dental school. So I honestly, I don’t think it reflects my performance, you know, during my school, my dental school. So. I prepared, I was prepared for this kind of question, but I had other more interesting things to put to describe in my personal statement because we have a limited words to write. So I, come on. I will not say about my GPA here.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: I’ll talk about other things and it worked, so good. And you know, they didn’t ask me anything about it in any interest that I had [00:31:00] nothing. So I don’t believe, I don’t think they wanna talk about your GPA during the interview, you know.

Alyssa: It has been asked for some candidates in the past, but not always. And, I’m really glad you didn’t have to talk about it. I actually did have to talk about it at one of the interviews, but I did go to a lot of interviews and most of them didn’t ask me about it.

Cintia: Yeah. As I said, we have to be prepared for everything for you. You have to be prepared. You have to know your personal statement really well. You have to know how to talk about it. You have to you know be prepared for things that they can mention. But did I tell you about the online interview that I had at Boston University?

Alyssa: Please do tell.

Cintia: On the other hand, I had a really tough online interview at Boston [00:32:00] University. I think it was the hardest one. You know, seriously pray you don’t have to do an online interview because in my opinion, it’s super challenging. You can’t read the room, you know, and you can’t see body language. They can see yours, but you can’t really see theirs. In my case, what happened at the start of the interview, I remember thinking, oh my gosh, I can’t believe this, because the video was just showing her eyes was just like. Showing, literally showing only her eyes. And I was sitting there, all polite saying, thank you very much. I’m really glad to be trying to be friendly. And she just started firing questions at me so fast and kept cutting me off and I couldn’t even see her face. It was weird, but [00:33:00] I reminded to stay calm. And I tried to steer the conversation the best I could, and I think I handled it pretty well because in the middle of the conversation, she’d moved her camera to show her face. And I saw her drop her pan and started talking to me much more warmly, calling me sweetie, all that.

Alyssa: Very nice.

Cintia: Yeah, but it was definitely tough, you know.

Alyssa: That sounds so nerve wracking.

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: Okay. Thank you for sharing that experience. And did I, did we talk about everything that we needed to talk about? You got another interview invitation? Or did you From another school?

Cintia: Yeah, but I declined.

Alyssa: Ah

Cintia: One interesting thing that happened to me. Not that [00:34:00] interesting, but something that can help other candidates not make the same mistake I did. Because, you know some schools might invite you for the bench test first, or an interview or both at the same time, but they can give you very short notice just a couple of days, and that actually happened to me with the University of Washington. I was on an international trip and the online interview was scheduled on the day I was flying back home, so I couldn’t attend. And they said they couldn’t reschedule at all. And I missed that opportunity. So I like to say, be ready as soon as you apply because things can move really fast and don’t make the same mistake I did.

Alyssa: Yeah. ’cause you [00:35:00] never get a warning that you’re gonna get a call, and then get a call. No, one day you don’t have a call, the next moment you have a call and you are on. But three days notice is a very, very short one. So that, that really is unfortunate. Any advice you have for anybody in this process?

Cintia: Yeah. Yes. If I had to give some advice the first thing I would say is about the TOEFL. Really focus on your TOEFL score because you know, I spent plenty of time preparing for that exam because I think having a great score really helps a lot. While I was preparing for the TOEFL exam, I worked on answering quickly and coming up with ideas on the fly. So I think it’s helped me a lot. It [00:36:00] helped me learn how to stay calm, be creative, and think fast in stressful situations. So just be mindful of your TOEFL score because I think it matters more than you might think.

Alyssa: And may I ask what your TOEFL score was that you applied with?

Cintia: 102.

Alyssa: Good.

Cintia: Yeah. And my best score was 110.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: Which I think is really good. I focused on more than 100.

Alyssa: Yes. Three digits.

Cintia: Last, the past two years, my TOEFL score was 99 and I couldn’t apply to some schools because they required 100.

Alyssa: Mm-hmm.

Cintia: And I was like, ’cause of one point, one point I was, oh my gosh. And then this year I improved and I thank God I got more than a hundred. But, but you know, my second tip is not about TOEFL, [00:37:00] not about score.

My second tip is about personal statement. I think it’s really super important because the admissions committee doesn’t know you yet, so it’s your first chance to spark their interest and show them who you are. As I told you, I’ve seen many candidates with high, really high stats and not getting invitations. So spend time reviewing and get some real professional help as I had with Kevin because it matters.

And of course, the bench test, I explained all the benefits to be prepared and you need to. You know for me the real question about the bench test is what you should do, what do you have to do to stand out and be better than everybody else? Because everybody [00:38:00] there, I believe everybody there has hand skills. You know, after all, we are all dentists. So what do you, what do you have to do to be better, you know? So you have to know all the preps really well, to do, like, something that is slightly different, but it makes a huge difference, you know? In the beginning I thought, I remember practicing my preps and I was, ‘I think it’s good,’ but no it was not, you know it takes time.

Alyssa: Do you remember the first feedback I gave you?

Cintia: I remember and I was like, ah, I think this why you asked me the grade. Oh no, I think it’s like a seven. And, no, it will not pass. And I was like, oh. Because, you know ,you have to understand, I think we have to understand what makes, what are the differences? Like a PFM Crown, a PFM Crown is full [00:39:00] of details and things that you can make a good impression for them to see you. They have to know, they have to, they have to believe that you know what you’re doing, you know? So.

Alyssa: That’s a very way good way to put it, because you can do a crown, but you’re right, like there are a lot of little details, and having them, or not having them does make the difference between the impression of does she know what a PFM is meant to do?

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: Or not.

Cintia: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And my third tip would be, be ready as soon as you apply because things can move really fast. As I told you I had a real example of University of Washington that I missed an opportunity. So be prepared because in my case I ended up with a crazy crunch time that [00:40:00] drove my family nuts.

I have a 3-year-old son and I was working in a very busy dental clinic as a dental assistant, so it was tough. I’d put him to bed and stay up late, practicing my preps, preparing for the interviews all at once. So don’t do that. Be prepared. You know make sure that you sign up for the International Dentist Central. There, you guys have a lot of good things there. Bench test course, tips for interviews, tons of things that I was like, oh my gosh, I wish I could have had more time. You know, like for practicing. But as I said, I stayed up late studying.

Alyssa: And you did it.

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: So congratulations on the end of this very long three plus year journey.[00:41:00]

Cintia: Yeah, yeah. And I’m really happy because when I was in the University of North Carolina, one student that it’s already studying there told me, you know, congratulations for all of you guys that are here because, you should be proud because this year they had over a thousand candidates.

They’re applying for only eight spots.

Alyssa: Wow.

Cintia: And I remember she told me before, before going to the interview and I was like, oh my gosh. I don’t know how I’m feeling like right now because I was happy, I was proud, but I was scared. It’s really competitive, so yeah, it’s.

Alyssa: Those are incredible odds that your application [00:42:00] pierced through to get you to that interview. That’s. Yeah, that’s really a that’s tough. So very, very well done. And now I know you’re.

Cintia: That’s why I’m saying thank you very much for you and Kevin because, I can’t imagine going through all of that without you guys helping me and guiding me.

Alyssa: You know, it was a real honor.

Cintia: Voice. I could hear the voice of Kevin in my mind while I was thinking and preparing, practicing things over there.

Alyssa: It really was an honor and it honestly also says a lot about you to be like, I do need help and I am gonna get the help now. Even though I don’t have much time, I know I need to kick into gear and act fast. This is the time for action, not for deliberation anymore. I don’t have the luxury to just think and wonder and, you know, and so you did what you thought were the, was the best, which worked for you. And you [00:43:00] didn’t hesitate when you realized what was ahead of you. So very well done and congratulations again and you’ll be starting your program in just a few months.

Cintia: Yeah.

Alyssa: Now I know you’re all busy getting ready to move and all the stuff, and it’s a lot, but it’s good stuff. And in just two and a half years you’ll be out, ready to practice. So. Congratulations again. Very well done, and thank you so much. Any last parting thoughts you have before we say bye?

Cintia: No, just thank you very much and if I, if this, telling my experience here, sharing, my story, if it helps like just even one candidate, I will be really glad.

Because we have, we have to help each other, each other. And I know, um, yeah. I’m really [00:44:00] glad and grateful for everything.

Alyssa: And this was Cintia. Thank you so much for your time.

Cintia: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Bye-bye.