American Red Cross Dental Assistant Program returns after six years, graduates four at Fort Polk

Photo By Jean Graves | FORT POLK, La. — Kayla Sharp, a student in the American Red Cross Dental Assistant Program, conducts dental radiography procedures during clinical training at Shira Dental Clinic, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Graduates of the program complete classroom instruction and clinical competencies designed to prepare them for employment as dental assistants.  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

06.08.2026

Story by Jean Graves 

Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital

FORT POLK, La. — After a six-year hiatus, the American Red Cross Dental Assistant Program made a triumphant return to Fort Polk, launching four determined graduates into new careers and brighter futures. For these military spouses and community members, the seven-month journey was more than just technical training—it was a testament to resilience, lifelong learning, and the power of second chances.

Graduates Misty Fumi, Anna Gulley, Jill Jaragoske and Kayla Sharp received American Red Cross Dental Assistant Program certificates at a ceremony on June 5, recognizing their completion of training in general dentistry, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery, radiology and dental laboratory procedures.

For many of the graduates, the program represented an opportunity to develop new skills, pursue professional goals and build careers in healthcare.

Anna Gulley, a military spouse, said she enrolled after spending several years as a stay-at-home mother and wanted to demonstrate to her children the importance of lifelong learning.

“I wanted to find a skill I could turn into a career,” Gulley said. “Proving to them that you’re never too old to learn.”

Gulley said one of the most rewarding aspects of the program was helping patients improve both their oral health and confidence.

“Seeing a person come in with pain and leave without it or finally be proud of their smile again after hiding it is so rewarding,” she said.

Jill Jaragoske, who previously worked as a dental assistant before stepping away from the profession to raise her family, said the program provided an opportunity to return to a career she loved.

“We had just moved to Fort Polk when I saw that the Red Cross was offering this program,” Jaragoske said. “I couldn’t sign up fast enough.”

Jaragoske said balancing the program while raising three children and managing family responsibilities was challenging, but ultimately worthwhile.

“There were many nights where I was studying in the high school parking lot while I waited for our eldest to return from an away soccer match,” she said. “It was exhausting, but very rewarding to push myself through it.”

The Dental Assistant Program, a partnership between the American Red Cross and Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital’s Shira Dental Clinic, provides military spouses, dependents and other eligible members of the military community an opportunity to gain professional healthcare training while supporting patient care and military readiness.

Lina Arenas, regional program manager for Service to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross, said the graduation was especially significant because it marked the return of the dental assistant program to Fort Polk after more than six years.

“The program provides military spouses with valuable career skills that can continue to benefit them wherever military life takes them,” Arenas said.

During the ceremony, Col. Patrick Miller, hospital commander, praised the graduates for their commitment and perseverance throughout the program.

“Over the last seven months, you made a deliberate choice to invest in yourselves,” Miller said. “You chose to step outside your comfort zones, learn a highly technical profession and challenge yourselves in a way that demanded both courage and grit.”

Miller noted that the graduates balanced family responsibilities, personal obligations and the unique demands of military life while continuing to pursue their goals.

“The ceremony isn’t just a recognition of the clinical skills that you’ve acquired,” he said. “It’s a celebration of the character that you’ve demonstrated.”

Capt. Adam Fraeyman, program director, restorative competency evaluator and instructor for the program, said one of the most rewarding aspects of serving as a mentor was watching the students grow in confidence and capability throughout the seven-month course.

“For most of the students, coming in with no medical or dental background and becoming immersed in a healthcare setting has been an exciting and rewarding experience,” Fraeyman said. “In seven short months, they transformed from having little or no experience in the dental field to becoming competent dental assistants.”

Students completed a month of classroom instruction before transitioning into six months of chairside clinical training, where they learned to assist providers and care for patients.

“There were days when they felt overwhelmed or did not pass a practical exercise,” Fraeyman said. “But they were resilient in their training and kept moving forward.”

By graduation, Fraeyman said the students had developed the skills necessary to assist with a broad range of dental procedures and support patient care teams.

• Date Taken: 06.08.2026
• Date Posted: 06.08.2026 11:57
• Story ID: 567132
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US