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Holmes alumnus Blake Bell accepted into dental school IN THIS PHOTO: Pictured is Blake Bell, a Holmes alumnus ('18) who was accepted into dental school at University of Mississippi Medical Center for the fall of 2020.
Holmes Community College alumnus Blake Bell of Lexington (Class of '18) was admitted into dental school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). He will begin his program in the fall of 2020.
The son of Lea and the late Bobby Bell, Bell was one of the 2018 valedictorians at Holmes with a perfect 4.0 GPA. A few of his accolades included: Hall of Fame inductee, Phi Theta Kappa honor society member, Ambassador, Student Government Association representative and MOSAIC tutor. A biological science major, he was also a manager for the cheerleading squad, a member of the Baptist Student Union, a President's List Scholar and recipient of the Lily Fran McCrory Foundation Scholarship. While attending Holmes, Bell shadowed at a local dentist office in Lexington to gain experience.
"Blake Bell was a great student who was engaging in class, a leader in laboratory and worked well with classmates on assignments," said Heather Jones, a Holmes chemistry instructor. "It was a joy teaching Blake for his two years at Holmes. Blake will do great in Dental School."
Upon graduation, he transferred to Mississippi State University, where he is pursuing a degree in biological sciences with a concentration in dentistry. At Mississippi State, Bell is a student mentor for the Brickfire mentoring program, which entails mentoring and tutoring children from low income families in the Starkville community. He is also a member of the MSU Pre-Dental Society and Beta Beta Beta honor society for biological sciences majors. Additionally, Bell served with the Medical Global Brigades in Honduras over the summer.
"I'm excited about dentistry, because I plan on coming back to my hometown in Lexington where I plan on working in my family dental practice in order to serve my community, and improve the oral health in Holmes County."
Bell has continued his status as a President's List Scholar at MSU and was honored as a Compass Scholar as well. In his free time, he enjoys working out, cooking, reading and being involved at Pinelake church in Starkville.
"The thing that makes Holmes a great investment in your education are the amazing people there to invest in the students and care about their success," Bell said. "I'm thankful for the faculty and staff at Holmes that pushed me and invested their time in me."
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