A passion for service forged in fire

A summer job in college prepared a first-year DDS student for his future in more ways than he could have ever expected.

Isaac Armstrong, DDS ’28, has always had a passion for healthcare. A caregiving position for a severely disabled individual in his hometown of Great Falls, Montana, solidified the importance of that work and his heart for it. 

Though he originally planned to pursue medical school due to his love for surgery, a shadowing opportunity with a family friend introduced Armstrong to periodontics and other specialties. “I never realized before that experience how much surgery could be involved in dentistry,” he shared. “That office felt like the best of everything I wanted to do. It was incredible.” 

That interest brought Armstrong to the School of Dentistry, where he encountered the supportive and welcoming environment of faculty, staff and students and knew he could find a home. Meanwhile, while he looked toward the future, student loans and expenses were piling up, and he needed a summer job.

A friend told Armstrong about wildland firefighting, and it seemed perfect: the opportunity to work hard, make good money in a short period of time and work outside. Armstrong became a forestry aid in the summer between his junior and senior year of college, fighting fires in Montana and traveling throughout the country as a federal resource. 

The work was grueling—and important. “When you’re running a chainsaw, and you’ve got to cut a mile of a saw line, you have to keep going, even when you're tired,” he said. “We worked hard, every day, because time was everything.” 

That job taught Armstrong the value of hard work. It also gave him a new perspective on teamwork and communication. “For one role, we went to Alaska with a 20-person crew,” he recalled. “We were divided into squads: everyone knew their responsibilities, and we were there to take care of business. The firefighter has a set of pillars that are key to success, and one of them is communication,” he said. 

The job also taught Armstrong perspective. “When you’re on a fire, you may be there for two or three weeks, depending on the assignment,” he reflected. That means two to three weeks without basic necessities like indoor plumbing. “That experience of appreciating small things helps me appreciate little victories throughout the day—the things that bring me joy,” he said.

Fighting wildfires doesn’t have much in common with dentistry, but the position certainly prepared Armstrong well for the needs of dental school and patient care. From teamwork to communication to enjoying every day, Armstrong is prepared to dive in fully and learn everything he can while in school.

“I think having a public responsibility, a duty in your job, connects these two roles as well,” he said. “We weren’t fighting fires for fun. It was to protect people’s homes. And in dentistry, we’re providing care for our patients that they need. It’s a similar philosophy that I’ve been able to practice.” 

As he embarks on his dental school journey, Armstrong looks forward to the connections he’ll make while he serves his patients. “Whenever I talk to people who have been through professional school, they don’t talk about the classes they took,” he explained. “They talk about the relationships they built—and I’m excited to build those relationships with my class. It’ll be amazing to become a health care provider and be confident in giving care to people, while also building lifelong friendships.” 

And while he doesn’t know exactly what path the future holds, Armstrong knows that he’ll take the experience of fighting fire after fire in oppressive heat with him—carrying gratitude, a passion for hard work and a commitment to service to every class, lab session and patient he encounters.