Here at Dental Central we love our coffee (who doesn’t?). We like to think of it as a very Melbourne thing, but all across Australia we have seen coffee culture transform our country. This week we talk to someone who has managed to combine a love of coffee with his fledging dental career.

Meet Elsh Getenet, a final year dental student at the University of Melbourne with an amazing story. Elsh was born to Ethiopian parents in a refugee camp in Kenya, and moved to Canada at the age of 6, already speaking 4 languages (but none of them English). Elsh dreamt of playing basketball in the NBA, and got as far as going to school and playing basketball in the USA before an injury closed the door. Not deterred, Elsh was inspired to become a dentist, and moved to Melbourne to study. How does an international student support themselves through dental school in the middle of a pandemic? The answer has something to do with coffee and donuts – but it’s better to hear Elsh tell the story.

Listen to this inspiring story, you won’t regret it.