The road to becoming a dentist has been anything but straightforward for Victoria “Tori” Garza. It has been a path marked by setbacks, self-doubt and moments when the world seemed to be saying “no” to her dream. But she refused to listen.
Growing up in McAllen, Texas, Garza always knew she wanted to go into dentistry. As a young girl, her curiosity was piqued when her father stored dental chairs in their garage as a favor for a dentist friend.
“I remember looking at those chairs and thinking, ‘What actually happens in a dentist’s office?’ That small moment stuck with me, and I wanted to learn more,” she said.
What was dentistry, really? The question lingered in her mind, sparking an interest that would soon become her lifelong ambition.
The heights of higher education
Garza began her higher education journey at Texas A&M University with an unexpected moment of serendipity during her freshman orientation. She discovered she had been listed as a geology major instead of biology, the more common major for dental school applicants. While asking a staff member for help correcting the error, a man sitting with his son in front of her overheard the conversation.
“He turned around and said, ‘So, you want to go to dental school?’ I nodded, and he told me he was the husband of Dr. Juanita Lozano-Pineda,” Garza said, recalling the memory.
Pineda is the associate dean for external affairs at UT Health San Antonio’s School of Dentistry. A priority of her role is the oversight of outreach programs for Texas’ pre-dental students — something about which her husband knew much. He spoke with Garza about the opportunities the San Antonio program would bring to her pre-dental group in college.
Garza wouldn’t officially meet Pineda until later, after transferring to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). It was there that Garza learned about the School of Dentistry’s Learning Enhancement for Achievement in Dentistry (LEAD) program and applied, with Pineda’s encouragement. LEAD is a three-week dental enrichment activity offered each summer to pre-dental and current dental students.
“Dr. Pineda’s outreach to South Texas schools really strengthened my desire to come to UT Health San Antonio even more,” Garza said. “The faculty and community at this school made it feel like home.”
But the transition from high school to college had already taken its toll. Feeling unprepared compared to her peers, Garza struggled academically at A&M.
“I didn’t know how to study properly, and I felt like everyone around me had a head start,” she admitted.
After three semesters, Garza made the difficult decision to return home and continue her education at UTRGV. There, she flourished, earning a strong grade point average.
Finding another way
Garza had her sights set on UT Health San Antonio’s School of Dentistry, applying to the school with high hopes. But she wasn’t accepted.
“That rejection was tough, but I wasn’t ready to give up,” she said. “I knew I had to find another way.”
Undeterred, Garza quickly enrolled in a competitive post-baccalaureate program at Texas A&M in Dallas, a rigorous pathway designed to strengthen her academic credentials to help her secure a place in dental school. The pressure was immense: She had to maintain a minimum grade point average and reach specific scores on the Dental Admission Test, which she took three times to achieve a competitive score.
Garza gave it everything she had that third and final time. And yet, despite her best efforts, a single section of the test kept her from crossing the threshold by one point.
Pushing forward against the odds
For many, this would have been the end of the road. No less than three academic advisors even tried to convince her to cut her losses and find a new dream. But for Garza, this was just another obstacle to overcome.
In the spring of 2020, she had time to regroup. She found work with an oral surgeon during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining hands-on experience in a field she was determined to be a part of.
“I was in full respirator masks, sterilizing equipment and assisting with procedures. It wasn’t glamorous, but I knew I was exactly where I needed to be,” she said.
She used the time to refine her application, strengthen her resume and lean on the support of mentors such as Pineda, who encouraged her to keep pushing forward. She applied to the program for the second time.
Months passed with no response. Then, in January 2021, she received an unexpected call from San Antonio. The School of Dentistry’s admissions team wanted to meet with her.
“Are you sure you have the right person?” Garza recalled asking in a state of disbelief.
Days later, she interviewed. A week and a half after that, she received her acceptance letter. The school she had dreamed of attending, the place she had worked tirelessly to reach, had finally opened its doors to her.
“I ran to tell my parents, and I think they cried,” Garza said. “They were there for every part of the journey — watching me study, work, ugly-cry and push through. That moment felt like a sigh of relief for all of us. They were proud, and so was I.”
Becoming a compassionate dentist
Four years later, as she prepares to graduate, Garza doesn’t look back with regret or frustration but with pride. Her journey has shaped her into a compassionate, determined and capable dentist, one who understands firsthand the value of perseverance.
She carries this same dedication into the clinic, forming deep connections with her patients. In one example, Garza still remembers a man who had gone 10 years without teeth. The day she handed him a mirror to see his new set of dentures, his eyes filled with tears.
“He told me, ‘I haven’t smiled in a photo in years.’ That moment made everything worth it,” she said. “All of the obstacles overcome — if they were all only to help him — were worth it.”
With a story of personal triumph, Garza is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of mentorship and the unwavering commitment of UT Health San Antonio’s graduates.
Following her graduation, Garza will remain in San Antonio as an associate dentist with alumnus Roger S. Campos, DDS (’89). She is eager to give back to the community that helped her achieve her dreams, which may soon include teaching at the school, because as Garza puts it, “It’s not about where you start. It’s about where you finish.”