Dental determination: Former Dalton resident realizes dream as oral surgeon

Jun. 29—Life has not always been easy for former Dalton resident Victor Celis, who is a recent graduate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from Florida's Nova Southeastern University. Celis completed his residency in early June.

Facing challenges such as an "unstable" upbringing, ever-changing residency and tragic loss all before finishing high school, Celis, who called Dalton home during the most formative years of his life, felt destined to overcome those hardships in order to achieve his goals in starting his own dental surgery business.

Celis credits his years in Dalton — and a local oral surgeon — with helping him realize his dream.

Finding a home in Dalton

Born in Los Angeles in 1991, Celis faced challenges from the beginning.

"My mother had me when she was 15 years old," Celis recalled. "She was a single mother working three jobs. My grandparents, who were born in Mexico, would help my mother raise me. It was an unstable environment, and we would jump from location to location. I was changing schools every single year starting from pre-k (kindergarten). Every school year was in a new city."

"Because of the uncertainty and instability of his early life, it was hard for him to form solid, long-term relationships and friendships for a while," said Barbara Hernandez, Celis' fiancé and a former classmate at the University of Georgia. Hernandez, who grew up in Dalton and is now a licensed attorney in Florida, said Celis "faced being bullied and avoided because of his situation."

It was not until the latter half of seventh grade when Celis finally found a sense of stability, when he and his family moved to Dalton.

"I started at Dalton Middle School and transitioned into Dalton High School, where I ran track and cross country," Celis said. "There was at first a sort of culture shock when moving to Georgia from California, but immediately I felt welcomed by the warm Southern hospitality that Dalton had, compared to LA."

"I remember not long after we moved to Dalton, my mother and I would be driving down the road and we would see other people on the street waving at us," recalled Celis. "We would look at each other and ask 'Who was that?' That may seem normal here, but in California, instead of waving, they're honking at you. (Dalton) just had a different etiquette. It was very welcoming and accommodating."

In Dalton, Celis was not only able to make new friends but also keep those friendships for more than an eight- or 10-month school period, a situation he was not accustomed to during his previous experiences in California, moving from school to school.

However, amid finally finding stability, another challenge struck Celis.

Finding motivation

"Before I graduated high school, my grandfather, who was the sole father figure and a big role model in my life, would pass away," Celis said. "My grandfather was an inspiration for me to keep pushing myself throughout my education. He taught me about perseverance, adaptability and the ability to wake up every day and put forward 100% in everything that I do."

These lessons instilled at an early age by his grandfather helped Celis, he said, to find the drive and determination necessary to succeed in all aspects of his life, which originally led down the path to a chemistry degree.

"Wanting to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and be the best that I can be, I worked hard and applied to Kennesaw State University, then transferred to the University of Georgia after two years to earn a degree in science and chemistry," said Celis.

The words and actions of his grandfather were not the only motivators for him.

"Looking back, I can say that Dalton Public Schools offered me a great education and opportunity to better myself," Celis said. "The teachers and the mentors from Dalton prepared me for setting the foundation for higher education and the college experience. They helped with the small steps such as reaching the milestones needed to succeed. I feel that not every community I've lived in shows the amount of interest needed in an individual to help them succeed, but Dalton showed that to me and helped set those standards for discipline."

After spending a year back in Dalton working as a chemist, Celis applied, and was accepted into, the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, graduating after four years.

"For the first two years I was practicing on a manikin in a lab, before moving on to an actual dental patient during the third and fourth year," Celis said. "At the end of the first two years (the school) awards the student with the best grade average consisting of both the written and practical, or hands-on, portions combined with the Golden Molar, which signifies performing at the highest level over the duration of the two years amongst 120 other students."

"I also received a scholarship from Procter & Gamble ... and they flew me out to Chicago to their national conference where I got to meet the CEO at the time," Celis said.

All of the hard work and accomplishments find their roots in Dalton, Celis said.

Finding purpose

"The reason for wanting to get into oral surgery and dentistry was definitely Dr. Chung," Celis said. "When my family moved here during my seventh-grade year my mom, Rosa Pineda, started working for him at the front desk. After school, she would sometimes bring me to work."

During his afternoon visits to Dr. Bill Chung, who specializes in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Dalton, Celis would begin to realize his calling, thanks in part to what he said are Chung's kindness and compassion.

"Growing up without a present father, Dr. Chung became a male role model in my life alongside my grandfather, something that I needed growing up," Celis said. "He would even help me with my homework after school out of his own will, slowly guiding me to the point where he let me shadow him at the office. He never pushed me in a way that said 'Hey, you should do this,' but I really began to respect him and become interested in doing what he did."

"He was very admirable and had a great personality," said Chung when asked about his memories of Celis at the office. "He would come and study under me when he was younger and he was very commendable; I wish him the very best in what is to come."

Building on the principles that were put in place from the determination of his mother, the wisdom of his grandparents and the compassion of Chung, Celis used those qualities to achieve success in both his education and his career.

"Today, I am coming off of just graduating from my residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery. I recently started my business as an independent contractor, Celis Surgical LLC, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida," said Celis. "I plan to go from private clinic to private clinic to provide my services as a specialist. Say, a general dentist or an orthodontist has a bunch of patients that need surgeries, and the patient needs care in a (certain) amount of time, I can come and perform surgeries for them. It's more like a servitude to the patient with less of a hassle for them to go out and try to find a provider. Overall, I want to be able to provide a more accessible means of care to all patients."

While his practice is in the South Florida area, Celis did not rule out the possibility of bringing his skill to the town that helped shape him.

"At least for the next few years, I'd say my plan is to establish myself in providing that accessibility to patients in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, but long-term, it's not out of the question for me to return to Dalton and open up some small businesses and give back to the community that helped me to thrive once I've accomplished what I need to here," Celis said.

"I have both a Georgia and Florida license since I originally started in Georgia, so there is the potential to come back and reach people in Dalton or Calhoun, whoever has the need for what I can bring to the community."