Lakeland grad all smiles with graduate school selection
If you’re like a lot of people, trips to the dentist’s office don’t often have people smiling.
2025 Lakeland graduate Emily Pautz is excited to help change that mindset.
Pautz will enroll in Marquette University’s dental school beginning this August, and she’s grinning ear to ear over the adventure that lies ahead.
“Growing up, I didn't like my smile, and I couldn't wait to get braces,” said Pautz, who received a bachelor’s degree from Lakeland with a double major in biology and chemistry. “Once I had braces, it brought me so much confidence, and since I've reflected on that experience, it is one of the things I enjoy about dentistry.
“I love that as a provider you can give someone their smile back. I know that many people struggle with going to the dentist due to anxiety or fear of being judged, and many people put off going to the dentist because they are embarrassed.”
Pautz joins a growing number of Lakeland grads from science programs earning graduate school placements in high-level professional schools.
She is the second Lakeland graduate to attend dental school in the last decade. Brooke (Corrigan-Wilder) Nygaard ’17 received a doctor of dental medicine from Roseman University of Health Sciences in South Jordan, Utah, and is a dentist at NorthLakes Community Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving northern Wisconsin.
LU Professor of Biology Paul Pickhardt, Ph.D., said acceptance rates into Marquette’s dental program, the only one in Wisconsin, are approximately 4-5% annually.
“Emily’s accomplishment speaks volumes to her work ethic, abilities and focus,” Pickhardt said “She is the latest example of the future opportunities we offer high-achieving science students”
When Pautz graduated from nearby Howards Grove High School, she was interested in studying science in college with the goal of healthcare career. She received her associate degree from UW-Green Bay’s Sheboygan campus and took advantage of an opportunity to shadow her dentist.
“Through shadowing, I realized how important effective and honest communication is in the dental field,” she said. “I was able to learn how to gain trust from the patient through caring about the patient themselves, not just what treatment they were there for. The doctor and assistant eased patient's nerves by asking them genuine questions and wanting to hear their answers.”
Her passion for science was a perfect fit at Lakeland. She partnered with Pickhardt on research through the Lakeland Undergraduate Research Experience summer program and presented those results at the Midwest Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conference in 2025. She also did a chemistry Cooperative Education experience with Lakeland professors Jered McGivern and Greg Smith.
She’s been a dental assistant at River’s Edge Family Dental in Plymouth, Wis., since graduating from Lakeland, which helped strengthen her dental school application.
After graduating with her associate degree, Lakeland was familiar since it was close to home and her fiancée, Charlie Ruege, was a 2023 LU graduate.
She found strong mentors and supporters in Lakeland’s science faculty. In the fall of her senior year, she was researching periodontal disease as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease for her scientific analysis and research class. Her professors didn't know much about this topic but supported her passion for the topic. She recalls reaching out to Smith on a weekend to read some research.
“He willingly set aside time to help so we could discuss it the following week,” Pautz said. “I had not expected a reply over that weekend, but it showed me how dedicated the science faculty is to see the students succeed. You’re treated as a student at Lakeland but also treated with different level of respect.
“I was proud of my work at the end of the semester, and I feel that everything I learned from that project will serve me well as I further my education.”
Along with her classroom work and research, Pautz was a member of the Lakeland tennis team and played trombone in Lakeland’s band. As she talked with peers from larger schools seeking entry into dental schools, Lakeland gave her several advantages.
“They were not getting opportunities to do research and struggling to get letters of recommendation,” Pautz said. “People who might be hesitant about Lakeland because it’s small will find that Lakeland has just as many opportunities as other schools, if not more.”
