Scholarships help future pediatric dentist

Rosanna Sinni, D.M.D, doesn’t want to be a regular pediatric dentist. Her aspirations are much loftier.

“I want to be a tooth fairy!” she said.

As a 2026 alumna of the MUSC James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, she’s one step closer to reaching that goal.

But it wasn’t fairy dust that made it all possible. It was her own hard work, family encouragement, and scholarship support from donors who believed in her future that helped her cross the commencement stage.

At a time when South Carolina needs more skilled health care providers, scholarships help ensure students like Sinni can pursue their calling and bring their talents back to the communities that need them.

Three people posing together indoors in front of a window. A young woman with glasses sits beside an older man in a green polo shirt, while a woman stands behind them with her arms around their shoulders. All three are smiling at the camera.

Dr. Rosanna Sinni with her parents

A legacy of service: family support and scholarships make it possible

Sinni’s mom, a NICU nurse, inspired her to go into healthcare.

“My parents always pushed me to aim for the stars, and I wanted to be a dentist,” she said. “They supported me throughout that decision.”

But when her mom died unexpectedly during her last year of dental school, Sinni had to make some tough decisions.

“I had to kick into caregiver mode while also finishing up my board and clinic requirements,” she recalled. “I had to put my dad in long-term care and had to come up with the money somehow so I could continue my education.”

That meant taking out additional loans. If it weren’t for the scholarships, Sinni said she might not have been able to make it work financially.

“All of the contributions from donors that are able to help us lift the financial burden off us,” Sinni said. “It also enables us to do things that we might otherwise not be able to do.”

While she ultimately lost both of her parents in that last semester, she didn’t lose her determination to finish her degree.

More than extracurriculars: compassionate care and mentorship

our people standing together and smiling inside a large room with light-colored walls and decorative block windows. Two people wear medical scrubs and name badges, and the group poses with their arms around one another during what appears to be a healthcare or volunteer event.

Dr. Rosanna Sinni with mentors on her mission trip to Honduras with the Dental Community Fellowship

Scholarship support also helped Sinni offset costs so she could go on dental mission trips in Ecuador, Honduras, and Knoxville, Tennessee. It was important to her to serve the communities there and get invaluable experience too.

While meaningful, it wasn’t just the additional experience practicing filling teeth and root canals that made these trips worth her time. They also helped her become a more compassionate, well-rounded care provider. She was able to find mentors in several of the volunteer dentists, including MUSC alumni, she worked with there.

“Watching their compassion, adaptability, and commitment to care had a major impact on me and further strengthened my interest in pediatric dentistry and serving vulnerable populations,” she said.

Pediatric dentist residency at MUSC

She will enter a two-year residency in pediatric dentistry at MUSC next, where she hopes to continue to be involved in dental mission trips and hone her skills serving children and their families.

Though her parents weren’t there to see her walk across the stage, she knows they would be over the moon about her accomplishment.

“I think they’d be proud,” Sinni said.