Ali Sabah Muhammed, known as ‘Halwest’, is a talented student of dentistry at Tishk International University. He has a special skill in maxillofacial and dental prosthesis, about which Shayan Magazine conducted an interview.
Shayan: Can you introduce yourself please?
Halwest: My name is Ali Sabah Mohammed (Halwest), I was born in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, on 14 October 1999, and currently I’m studying at the fourth stage of Dentistry Faculty at TIU.
Shayan: what made you think about developing your skills in the field of maxillofacial prosthesis?
Halwest: It all started right after I was admitted to the university; one of our teachers, Dr. Zhala Miran, who holds a PhD in maxillofacial prosthesis, showed us some cases of patients that had lost their nose, ears, and some other parts of their mouth and face due to accidents or diseases. I was amazed by how the maxillofacial prosthesis she had done for those patients, changed their lives and helped them in restoring their facial esthetics and oral functions. This made me realize that dentistry is beyond what I was thinking; so I decided to develop my skills in tooth carving before starting to make maxillofacial prosthesis.
I started by carving on a soap before starting our preclinical training during the second year at the college, when I made a gypsum frame and started putting wax over the frame and carving a part of the face. I published my work on the social media and many friends admired my work and this encouraged me to continue and work harder in hopes of getting better results.
Shayan: Who supported you during this journey?
Halwest: My only supporter is Allah. I’m very grateful and thankful to all His blessings, He gave me strength and confidence to make progress in my life and my work. Allah wants us to be creative and to always learn more in all aspects of our life.
Shayan: What materials do you use in your work?
Halwest: Mostly I use wax sheets, gypsum and soaps for making those prosthesis and sculpture with simple carving instruments.
Shayan: How can you find time to manage your studies and your hobbies? and what is your rank at college?
Halwest: Mostly I work during the summer and Newroz holidays, and I’m the top 2 of my class at college.
Shayan: Why did you choose Dentistry?
Halwest: I chose dentistry because I though it is the filed where I can find myself because I love its practical aspect.
Shayan: What is your advice to your colleagues and to all students?
Halwest: I advise the students to always go for creativity, never resort to traditional methods alone, be unique in a good way as much as you can, and of course working hard is always the key to success. Worthy things in life do not come easily, you should sacrifice your time and energy to get it.
Shayan: Are you working beside your studies?
Halwst: I previously worked at KOREK Tele-Communication company. I was attending college from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and then going to work from 5:30 to 11:00, and I’m proud of that.
Shayan: Is there anything else you would like to share us?
Halwest: I just want to say always try and work hard till the end of your life. Just imagine if heart rests for 1 minute, human being will die, and thank you very much for giving me this chance.
