Mr Mark U. Pakan,

I was born in the beautiful city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan to parents who valued education above all other things: my father, a surgeon, and my mother, a teacher. For me, solving jigsaw puzzles or advanced mathematical problems was a hobby rather then a task. I especially enjoyed building with my hands; a few screws and bolts, with a help of a screw driver and a ratchet, would result in the construction of a toy car or plane. Growing up, I did not question getting a degree. Instead, the big question was how to build a future in a country with no respect for law or religion. Our family realized that we would have to start from a scratch for a new life in a new land, a land of opportunities. In 1992, my family immigrated to Queens, New York. Ever since, this has been my home. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Queens College, receiving a BA in Biology. I was awarded a Dean's Full Merit Scholarship to attend NYU College of Dentistry, where I graduated in 2001 at the top of my class (Omega Kappa Upsilon). A few years later, I completed my advanced training in Periodontics and Implant Dentistry at NYU College of Dentistry. NYU is a very special place to me; I not only gained a degree to enter the profession that I love, I also met the love of my life, my wife Bella. Together, we have three magnificent daughters. While they take up most of our free time, we adore spending time together as a family: visiting grandparents, inviting friends over, and playing in the park. I consider myself a happy, and most importantly, a lucky person. Every morning, I wake up and go to work to do what I love the most (play with tiny screwdrivers to build something important for my patients); and, every evening I head home to those I love the most. Many years of hard work and a little bit of luck led my life to a balanced equilibrium, or rather, happiness.