One of Jami Turnquist’s clearest memories as a child was jumping on the trampoline with her sister.
“My sister asked, ‘Do you know how to double bounce?’ then double-bounced while we were play fighting,” Turnquist explained. “I propelled my fist into her mouth and knocked out her two front teeth. It was a clean hit — roots and all — and the teeth were still attached to her braces.”
When Turnquist and her sister went to the emergency dentist, the dentist pushed the teeth back into her gums and said, “They should be good.”
Turnquist was fascinated.
“To see that and know my sister got to keep her teeth because of the quick action of the dentist made me want to become one, too,” Turnquist said.
She is now one step closer to achieving her dream, in part thanks to the classes she took at Newman University.
Turnquist, who is a nontraditional student, enlisted in the U.S. Army straight out of high school. It wasn’t until several years later that she decided to take advantage of her GI bill. One of Turnquist’s mantras is “I’m going to be four years older in four years anyway,” she said. “I knew if I started the hard work, I was going to be in a better place later, so I went for it.”
She started her college journey with another local university, but quickly realized it wasn’t the best fit for her.
“I didn’t feel like I was learning things at the level that I should to succeed in the way that I wanted to,” Turnquist said. “When you ask around about Newman, all you hear is quality: ‘Their science department is fantastic; the instructors there are fantastic; they really care about the students’ success.’ Now I’ve witnessed it. At Newman, they want you to be the best in your career field and they hold you to that.”
Turnquist supplemented her work experience at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital with her pre-dental classes at Newman and felt prepared without ever having to earn a full degree. She passed her first dental admissions test and was recently accepted into the University of Missouri – Kansas City’s School of Dentistry Program for fall 2024.
“I highly recommend others take classes at Newman,” she said. “The teachers are fantastic, and the students are so motivated. They really propelled us into another level of learning. That’s why I love Newman. I’ll tell everyone, ‘Yes, go to Newman.’”
Every day, Turnquist tries to lead by example for her children.
At Newman, they want you to be the best in your career field and they hold you to that.
Jami Turnquist
“Your kids see how hard you work and it motivates them to know they can do more, too,” she said. “I think especially for my 18-year-old, seeing me go back to school and juggle all of these things and trying to do it with grace, she was motivated enough to graduate high school with her associate’s degree in college.”
Turnquist hopes that she will also inspire her other children: two high school children, her middle schooler and, eventually, her 3-year-old and 18-month-old. Through it all, Turnquist has her husband and mother to thank for their unending support.
“My mom is over all the time; she loves her grandkids and she’s always there, and my husband goes above and beyond as far as a partner goes to take care of the kids’ needs,” Turnquist said. “He takes them to school, goes to the doctor appointments, he’s the emergency contact, he cooks dinner and does the grocery shopping. He does all of that so I can perform at a high level working full time.”
To other adult learners, Turnquist says it’s worth it to put in the hard work and make your career dreams a reality.
“Call on your family or spouse for support, put in the hard work and know that in four years you’ll be closer to the lifestyle you want,” she said. “It might sound cheesy, but do whatever you can to make it happen, because it’s in your power to do so.”
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