![\"\"](\"\/dental\/files\/2023\/02\/SM_Valentines_1-1-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n During his interview day, Molina was introduced to some of the first-year PROS residents \u2013 including Lea Hajjar. Hajjar made a notable impression on Molina, as he said he vividly remembered her being \u201cvery kind and nice.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t know if I was going to get accepted, but then I wouldn’t have thought that person that I met during my interview would [have] ended up becoming such an important person in my life,\u201d Molina said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The initial lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic helped bring the couple together, Molina said. Molina and Hajjar, along with other colleagues and classmates, supported each other and bonded during quarantine. Slowly, the friendship turned into a relationship.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now, more than two years into their relationship, Molina said he is appreciative of her never-ending guidance and patience, from the days of helping each other successfully complete the prosthodontics program to the present day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI’m so glad I met her, and I met her here. [She] made my time in Boston so much better,\u201d Molina said. \u201cAnd with all the struggles and the pandemic and everything, [it] definitely was a very high point to have that support and to have met her. She’s an amazing person. I love her so much.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hajjar said she is excited to see what the future has in store for the couple as they transition out of residency and into the next stages of their life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Esteban has taught me so much first as a friend, then as a co-resident, and more recently as a partner,\u201d Hajjar said. \u201cI am forever grateful to have met him when I did. He has been my rock through it all and I cannot imagine what the last years would have been without him.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Michael, he met his wife-to-be, Melina, in 2018, two months before they both started a pre-dental Masters of Oral Health Sciences program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe both attended the housing fair and toured the BU Medical Campus together,\u201d Michael said. \u201cLittle did we know!\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They began as friends, but something changed after the first semester of their master\u2019s program, Melina said. Once their schedules got a bit lighter, they were able to interact in more social settings, leading to their first kiss after a night out with fellow friends in the program.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter [our first kiss], I knew I was a goner, he would either make me the happiest I’ve ever been or break my heart,\u201d Melina said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even at the start of the relationship, Michael knew there was something magical about Melina.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere was something that always drew me towards Melina even from our days in the OHS master’s program, and if you know us today, it\u2019s still the exact same way,\u201d Michael said. \u201cIf you spot Melina, I\u2019m usually not far behind.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When it was time to propose, Michael said he carried the ring with him for a month until he could find the right moment to pop the question. Then, during a visit to Melina\u2019s family in Sarasota, Florida, the sun, beach breeze, and dolphins playing in the ocean created the perfect timing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt seemed as if it was out of a movie,\u201d Melina said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The couple both expressed how thankful they were to experience dental school together.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI honestly think Michael and I were meant to meet eventually. He’s my best friend, but if it weren’t for our passion for dentistry and our professional careers lining up so perfectly, we wouldn’t have met so soon,\u201d Melina said. \u201cAs student dentists, we are always assisting each other in clinic and have been each other’s greatest support system in dental school.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After graduating from GSDM in May, the pair will move to Buffalo, New York, where they both matched to a general practice residency program that starts in June.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have big plans for our future,\u201d Melina said. \u201cBU Dental and Boston will always have a special place in our hearts!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The pair met for the \u201cfirst\u201d time twice, Czernick said. They technically ate dinner together in 2011 at an event hosted by GSDM alums at the restaurant Fire and Ice but sat on opposite sides of the table and didn’t interact.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Later that same year, Kobewka started her periodontics clinical. Her instructor, Joseph Morcos, introduced her to his co-resident, who was also teaching the clinical component \u2013 Czernick. The rest is history.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe ended up teaching at the bay beside me,\u201d Kobewka said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Czernick said there isn\u2019t one particular moment that made him realize Kobewka was the one \u2013 he just always knew.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI kind of always felt like Marissa was going to be the girl I married from the first time we met,\u201d Czernick said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a sweet parallel to how they met, Czernick proposed twice: once while still at GSDM and the other post-graduation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen we were still in school, we couldn\u2019t afford to do anything fancy, so I made Marissa breakfast in bed and proposed to her there,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce we graduated, I upgraded her engagement ring and planned a private dinner and glamping on the roof top of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Czernick said he\u2019s thankful that he is sharing his life journey with a fellow dentist.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think being married to another dentist is great because we understand the struggles that each other goes through,\u201d Czernick said. \u201cWe can empathize with the other after a long day and talk about strategies to make things better for our patients.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nowadays, they have one big priority \u2013 caring for their two-and-a-half-month-old son, Anderson Wells Kobewka Czernick.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n One story the pair can agree on: Their first date involved a football-related bet and an unexpected fancy sit-down meal.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[We] started dating in 2008, after I finally wore her down to go on a date with me. We made a bet on the Super Bowl, and when the Patriots lost, she had to take me out for dinner,\u201d Derrik said. \u201cI\u2019ve been kind of a Giants fan ever since.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Since Shannan owed Derrik a dinner, she decided to bring him to get \u201cthe best salad in Boston.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUnknowingly, she chose a very fancy restaurant on Newbury Street, white tablecloths, waiters in suits, etc. and they sat us at the nicest table next to a fireplace,\u201d Derrik said. \u201cI thought she was really into me. She later told me that she had no idea it was fancy and that she was really embarrassed the entire time thinking I was getting the wrong impression.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n About six months into his relationship with Shannan, Derrik saw his best friends at a wedding and couldn\u2019t stop talking to them about Shannan \u2013 that’s when he realized she was \u201cthe one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey all told me I’d never talked about a girl like that before. On the flight home, I knew,\u201d Derrik said. \u201cI told her I loved her for the first time that night.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Derrik said it makes a big difference having the same career passion as his spouse, as they understand the stresses of the profession. He could not imagine being in the dental field now without her.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe’ll be forever grateful to BU for bringing us together,\u201d Derrik said. \u201cAnd I’m quite certain we’re the greatest love story BU has ever told.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nSo many love stories begin with a simple smile \u2013 but for these four GSDM couples, a smile means much more. For this Valentine\u2019s Day, GSDM Communications is highlighting a few heartwarming BU Dental Love stories.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nEsteban Molina PROS 22, Clinical Assistant Professor of General Dentistry and <\/span><\/b>Group Practice Leader for the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Center <\/span><\/b>and Lea Hajjar PROS 22
\n<\/span><\/b>Dating since 2020<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n![\"\"](\"\/dental\/files\/2023\/02\/Artboard-13-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/h5>\n
\nWhen Esteban Molina arrived at GSDM in 2019 for his applicant interview, he didn\u2019t anticipate that he would also meet his future girlfriend that day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMelina Roncone DMD 23 and Michael Roncone DMD 23
\n<\/span><\/b>Together since 2019, Married since 2022<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n<\/span><\/b><\/span>
![\"\"](\"\/dental\/files\/2023\/02\/Artboard-14-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/span><\/h5>\n
\nI<\/span>t was fate that the first person Michael Roncone met in Boston would later become his wife.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDrew Czernick PERIO 14 and Marissa Kobewka DMD 15<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Together since 2013, Married since 2018<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n![\"\"](\"\/dental\/files\/2023\/02\/Artboard-15-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/h5>\n
\nIt takes two to make a thing go right \u2013 and Drew Czernick and Marissa <\/span>Kobewka can verify that. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDerrik Johnson DMD 09 and Shannan Johnson DMD 09<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Together since 2008, Married since 2010<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n<\/span><\/b>
![\"\"](\"\/dental\/files\/2023\/02\/Artboard-16-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/span><\/h5>\n
\nOn the first day of dental school, Derrik Johnson complimented a classmate\u2019s coat \u2013 to which she rolled her eyes, walked away and did not talk to him again for a whole year. This is the story Derrik Johnson tells about how he first met his future wife, Shannan (Feeley) Johnson, although he said she would dispute some of the details. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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