Pictured: Sasha at age 2 with his Mom, Natasha
It all begins with an idea.
Born to Belarusian immigrants, Sasha’s parents, though still making “their way” in America, constantly nurtured a love (and the necessity) of education, perseverance, and service in his life. This deep appreciation for education - especially Mathematics - was only further fostered by Sasha’s Grandma (“Babushka”), Svetlana (in Belarusian, her name means “The light” ), who’d assign problem sets, on yellow notepads, that never seemed to end.
In spite of Sasha’s initial struggles, he pushed through, achieving acceptance to the prestigious CTY program at the age of only 12. Six years later, Sasha achieved a near-perfect score on SAT Math (790/800), along with 5’s in AP Calculus AB, and BC.
After graduating Monte Vista High School, Sasha enrolled at the University of California, Davis, majoring initially in Neuroscience, Physiology, and Behavior. But upon the advice of his late Grandpa, Valery (a former Chemical Engineer), who he still loves deeply, he changed his major to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
In June 2023, Sasha graduated UC Davis.
In August 2024, Sasha formally began his DDS studies at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine (SDM)
Currently, Sasha is a third-year dental student at the CU Anschutz SDM.
Pictured: Sasha at age 2
In spite of, and not owing to his family, a family of teachers, mathematicians, and programmers, Sasha decided to explore healthcare anyways.
For Sasha, healthcare first revealed itself in the form of volunteering at the Stanford Valleycare on weekends. Throughout high school, as he cleaned rooms, aided discharge, and trained volunteers, Sasha gradually began to envision a future for himself in healthcare. For his efforts, and 220 hours of service, Sasha was awarded the Valleycare Auxiliary Scholarship, a scholarship awarded to the most qualified high school seniors who planned to enter the healthcare field.
It was during Sasha’s years at the University of California, Davis that his interest in healthcare gradually became an interest in oral health.
While volunteering at Davis Community Meals, while serving meals to impoverished and unhoused individuals, Sasha, for the first time, observed the profound effect that poor oral health could have on a person’s everyday life. Missing and damaged teeth, discomfort while eating, and visible dental disease were not simply cosmetic concerns. They could influence nutrition, confidence, communication, and the way a person interacted with the world.
This realization followed him beyond Davis.
During visits to Belarus - particularly Hrodna and his home village of Bieszanki - Sasha began recognizing similar problems in communities far removed from those he had served in California. Oral disease was not confined to any one city, socioeconomic group, or circumstance. It existed among people experiencing homelessness, among working families, among refugees, and even among communities that were deeply personal to him… as in his home village.
This realization ultimately drew Sasha towards dentistry.
Even if Sasha is unable to solve the issues of homelessness, or war, he is determined to become a dentist who ensures sufficient, quality oral care to all of his patients, at-risk or not.
In restoring oral health, he hopes to empower his patients to use their voices boldly.
Today, Sasha, a third year dental student, continues this mission, caring for patients (under the supervision of licensed faculty dentists) as a part of his clinical training.
Pictured: Sasha’s Great-Grandfather, Ivan Vasilievich Ponomarev, who participated in the Defense of Stalingrad (Volgograd). Before the War, Ivan was a well-known veterinarian (to date, the only medical professional in our family in recent memory). During the war, he served as a veterinarian, artillerist, and a parachutist.
Pictured: Sasha at age 3 with his Babushka, Svetlana Ivanovna Shvakel
Pictured: Sasha at age 23 in Belarus