Member Spotlight!

Shining a light on an Outstanding Alliance Member

Emily: First, please tell me a little about yourself, your family, hobbies, etc..

Jacquelyn: I am a SAHM to The Big One (6), The Little One (3.5) and The Mini One (6m); married to Josh Whetzel. We live in an adorable small town in Georgia, and I enjoy chasing after my kids (most of the time). Being their mom doesn’t leave me much time for other things. I am involved with our local Women’s Club and Mom’s Club and I enjoy exercising and cooking.

Jacquelyn keeps busy with her three girls!

Jacquelyn with her youngest

Emily: You really are a busy lady! How did you first learn about the Alliance?

Jacquelyn: I learned about the Alliance during the first week of Dental School (August 2005), when Josh came home and said, “There’s a spouse group here, you should join”

Emily: And when did you join the Alliance?

Jacquelyn: I joined that Winter (Feb 2005) and have been a member ever since. I was a member in 05-07 and the President of the group from 08-09. After graduation, I stepped into the role of Student Spouse Liaison between the AGDA and the GHSU DSSA (Dental Student Spouse Alliance) and have served in that position since then.

Emily: What Alliance projects or events have you participated in?

Jacquelyn: As a Student Spouse (SS), we hosted a Santa’s Workshop, where the DSSA members collected Christmas gifts for the teenage patients at CHA (Children’s Healthcare of Augusta). We performed the Wanda Wondersmile Puppet Show for local schools and for the last three years I have planned the Annual Student Spouse Dinner held each fall at Dean Drisko’s home.

Emily: What has been your favorite project or event?

Jacquelyn: Honestly, my favorite project is the one I’m working on. I really enjoy educating people about Dental Health, and I also enjoy mentoring the Student Spouses and the fellowship and friendships that come with it.

Emily: I remember that you said something great in the student spouse gathering at the Conference about your husband really wanting you to be involved in the Alliance and the community. Could you please paraphrase that for me again if you remember? 

Dr and Mrs Josh Whetzel

 Jacquelyn: If I remember correctly, I said being involved with the Student Spouse Alliance was one of the best decisions I made as a spouse of a student. I had a group of ready made friends who knew exactly what it’s like to be married to a student whose schooling is the equivalent of a full time job - before studying. We were able to support and encourage each other and share our experiences. It was nice to hear from someone slightly further along in the process that if you can just make it through the first two years, it gets a lot easier. I believe our marriage would have suffered greatly without that knowledge from other spouses that the challenge of being married to a student would get easier as he progressed through school. The spouses reminded me to cut him some slack when he needed it, and we helped each other when our spouses weren’t able to. It was also nice to have some friends who were MY friends, not just friends of his as well. I ended up meeting a lot of women in other classes that we wouldn’t have gotten to know had I not joined the Alliance.

Josh and Jacquelyn at graduation

Josh really encouraged me to get involved in our community once he graduated, because I am a direct link in advertising. I can gain the trust of other couples in our age group and refer patients to the practice through my involvement in local organizations, PTO and just by being out in the community.

Emily: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Jacquelyn, I really appreciate it and we all appreciate your hard work as an Alliance member!