AGD Member Spotlight Highlights Dentist’s Journey from Rural Eritrea to Fellowship Candidacy

From a rural village in Eritrea, East Africa, with no electricity or clean drinking water to opening a dental practice in Texas and pursuing Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), Fesehatsion T. Gebrehiwot’s, DDS, journey is a powerful story of resilience, purpose and lifelong learning.

Featured in the February issue of AGD Impact, Gebrehiwot’s story spans two continents and an unexpected career pivot. Born in Eritrea as the fifth of nine children, he walked 14 kilometers daily to attend school while helping his family farm and fetch water. His father’s belief that education was the only lasting inheritance shaped his future.

At age 20, Gebrehiwot immigrated to the United States after winning the Diversity Visa Program lottery. He earned an engineering degree from Arizona State University and worked for Motorola before a routine dental visit changed his life. Witnessing firsthand the impact of oral health care and recalling his father’s untreated dental pain, he chose to pursue dentistry.

He entered dental school at 32, later opening a practice from the ground up in the Dallas area. Known for averaging more than 300 hours of continuing education annually, Dr. Gebrehiwot trained with some of dentistry’s leading institutions and mentors.

“There were days when I questioned my decision and days when people openly told me I was crazy to leave engineering for something so uncertain,” said Gebrehiwot. “But I reminded myself: I came to this country with nothing. I lose nothing by trying for something greater.”

Gebrehiwot is now a 2026 AGD Fellowship candidate, he is committed to excellence, mentorship and compassionate care particularly for immigrants and first-generation professionals inspired by his story. Read his full story or listen to a recent interview on the AGD Podcast Series.

AGD members and subscribers can access all AGD’s publications at www.agd.org.