Health Care Management & Policy Major Sees Career as Orthodontist in Future

December 6, 2018 – Tommy Kadar (NHS’20) majors in health care management & policy (HCMP) at the School of Nursing & Health Studies.

The junior, who is originally from Haddonfield, New Jersey, has been completing, in addition to his major, the pre-med curriculum with the goal of going to dental school and then specializing as an orthodontist. “Pre-med is challenging with all of the labs and volumes of information,” he says. “But it motivates you and helps you learn to be structured, to manage your time, and to be forward-thinking in your point of view.”

A tutor for the “Human Biology” course, Kadar has built strong connections and friendships on campus through engagement with the Jesuit Community and participation in intramural sports.

Question: How have you enjoyed Georgetown and the HCMP major?

Kadar: So far, my experience at Georgetown has been incredible. I am very happy to be in the NHS because the culture is one that promotes teamwork and learning, while the professors truly care about you as an individual. The content that we are exposed to is interesting and relevant to our futures, which makes going to class enjoyable. The major is small, and the professors get to know you.

My favorite class has been “Human Biology,” taught by Professor Ted Nelson. You learn about the body and its systems, which is relevant to my future interests. Once a week, now as a tutor for that course, I help teach a class to current students and go over what they most recently learned. I enjoyed tutoring in high school, and this activity also helps keep the material fresh for the Dental Admission Test.

Question: Tell us about your Georgetown experience.

Kadar: My grandfather, Joseph Riggs (C’55, M’59), a Georgetown graduate, always told me that the best thing about Georgetown is the people you will meet, and he was correct. The friends I have made will be friends for life and have made Georgetown my favorite place to be.  With such a diverse student body, I have become friends with people from all over the world and have become a better person as a result. It’s hard to imagine going to a different school after making the friends I have at Georgetown. My grandfather was right yet again.

Through my “Problem of God” class, I have gotten to know Father Otto Hentz, SJ. I also befriended other students in the class, and it turns out that Father Hentz knows many of our parents. Once a month he has us over for dinner at the Jesuit Community. He reminds us to keep things in perspective, and he tells us we are all too busy. Every time we leave dinner, we talk about it for the rest of the night. He’s a really special man.

I played football, baseball, and basketball in high school and have enjoyed club sports at Georgetown. I am a part of the club basketball and baseball team, and I play multiple intramural sports. I am a member of Georgetown Ballers, which works “to inspire the young men and women of the juvenile justice system by empowering them with life skills and building lasting relationships both on and off the basketball court, with the ultimate goal of reducing the cycle of recidivism.” I am also vice president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Question: What are your plans for the future?

Kadar: In the future, I plan on furthering my education in dental school, and I ultimately want to become an orthodontist like my father.