This week’s Up-and-Comer is Lauren Witte, an orthodontist at Barrow Orthodontics.
What brought you to Sioux Falls?
I grew up in Sioux Falls and have always known it is where I wanted to end up. I have lived in a number of cities and states while pursuing and completing my education, but Sioux Falls was always home. I made incredible friends in the places I lived in throughout my education but lived far enough away that I could only see my family a few times out of the year. This reemphasized the value I hold in living close to my loved ones. I am incredibly blessed to have grown up in a city as fantastic as Sioux Falls and am beyond thrilled to be back to continue building my life in such a great community.
What keeps you in Sioux Falls?
What brought me to Sioux Falls contributes to what makes me want to live long term in Sioux Falls, which includes my family, friends and the outstanding community that makes up the city. As I begin my professional career, I am excited to be able to give back to a community that helped to shape me and which gave me a childhood that I can look back and smile upon. I hope to do the same for the people of Sioux Falls as an orthodontist in the community at Barrow Orthodontics.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
There are many aspects of being an orthodontist that I love, but I think the best part of what I do involves getting to know my patients on a more personal level and developing relationships with the people I see every day. It is important to me to get to know the person behind the smile. What is even better is that I am making a difference in that person’s life by creating a beautiful, confident smile.
How did you get connected to your industry?
It all started with me taking different classes in college such as interior design, accounting and chemistry. I soon realized my favorite classes were the science classes. I then discovered that my interests in esthetics, business and science in particular, which I explored in these classes, were all integrated into dentistry. I decided to start pursuing dentistry and began shadowing various dentists and specialists around town. It then became apparent that this was definitely what I wanted to do. I was lucky enough to have phenomenal mentors in the field who led me to make this decision as they loved what they did.
It was in dental school that I had further exposure to the dental specialties, with rotations and classes in areas such as pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. That was when I recognized that orthodontics in particular harnesses my skills and passions of problem-solving, working with children and making a profound positive impact on someone’s life. In orthodontics, I had found the specific niche of dentistry that encompassed three of my passions, making my job more than just work but also a way of utilizing my skills to help others.
Describe Barrow Orthodontics in three words.
Compassionate, thorough, exceptional.
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?
Now that I am out practicing as an orthodontist, some people may be surprised to learn that I earned my college degree in accounting before going to dental school. A lot of times when individuals go into a healthcare field, they will major in something related to science such as biology, chemistry or health and exercise science. I decided to earn my degree in accounting while also taking all of the science courses necessary to be prepared and apply for dental school. The science classes piqued my interest more, but I knew the accounting and business classes would give me a good foundation and background for real-world applications outside of dentistry.
What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?
I think one of the best ways to give back to the community is by harnessing our individual strengths as we all have different talents that we can use to contribute to the community in various ways. I have volunteered for many different organizations throughout my educational journey, but my strengths and passions led me to a career in orthodontics. In addition to volunteering intermittently at my church, my career has to be my favorite way to give back on a daily basis. Giving someone a smile that they can be proud of can be life-changing, bringing forth confidence and happiness. I feel very blessed that the career I chose to pursue is also a way that I can profoundly impact people’s lives in a positive manner.
What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?
My answer to this question is not a specific business but rather a type of business; I would love to see more locally owned businesses around Sioux Falls, although we are fortunate that there are many of these businesses already. I am proud to work as an associate orthodontist at a privately owned practice, Barrow Orthodontics, where care is personalized, we are invested in the community with goals to better the community, there is commitment to patient satisfaction and communication, and where relationships are fostered. These are all valuable aspects that are often found in locally owned businesses and are evident in the way they serve their customers, employees and communities every day.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I have been working at Barrow Orthodontics for a little over six months now, and words cannot express how blessed I feel to have found a position at such a practice. Not only is the orthodontic work at Barrow Orthodontics exceptional and of the highest standard of care, but it is a place where the people are welcoming, humble, kind and have integrity. The last four qualities I described cannot be learned; rather, they are derived from the nature of one’s character. The people at Barrow Orthodontics treat everyone, from team members to patients, as family. I believe this to be something sought after but not easily found. I have found these qualities at Barrow Orthodontics and feel blessed to say that this is the type of practice that I see as my forever job.
In five years, I hope to still be practicing as an orthodontist at Barrow Orthodontics, having grown both professionally and personally. Professionally, I plan to continue providing exceptional care for patients while further expanding on my clinical expertise and learning. Personally, hopefully I have started a family, have more involvement in the community and continue to foster meaningful relationships in this city that means so much to me.
