Kimberly brings happy smiles to Rio Claro

Kimberly Boodoosingh-Alsuran may not have left TT under the best of circumstances, but she has never forgotten the country of her birth and continues to do whatever little she can to help with the development of the communities in Rio Claro, and not in a traditional way.

Boodoosingh-Alsuran migrated to New York when she was 20-year-old. “I moved to New York in 2009 due to all the crime that was taking place. Moving to New York was very challenging for me since all my family was located in Trinidad. I was an illegal immigrant with no job, unable to attend school or do anything.” With financial support from her grandmother and her father until her documents were processed and she was able to work to support herself, Boodoosingh-Alsuran rode out the tough times and saw the move as a new beginning.

Fast forward ten years and the mother of two is about two years shy of graduating with a BSc in Dental Hygiene. But Boodoosingh-Alsuran is not waiting until then to give back to the community she called home for two decades. The certified dental assistant returns to TT annually to spend time with family and put her professional knowledge to good use. “I travel every year to Trinidad and I do pooja with the family. I visit children’s homes and do charity,” also ensuring that the children have healthy teeth.

“On my last visit I made gift bags with oral health products which I distributed to a primary school in my area. I love helping kids in any way I can,” she told WMN. Boodoosingh-Alsuran said oral health is one of the most ignored aspects of health care and she because she has a passion for the field, she enjoys educating parents and children about its importance.

But she was not always fascinated with oral hygiene. In fact, she had her eyes set on being an attorney and had started laying the foundation for it. “My dream job was to become a lawyer. I was about to complete my first year in law school at Gillian Lucky’s School of Law when I moved to New York.”

However, instead of picking up where she had left of in law, after she was legally able to work and attend school she decided to enrol in the New York school of Medical and Dental Assistants, from where she graduated in 2014. “I worked four years as a dental assistant before I decided to further my career and become a dental hygienist. I graduated from Plaza College in 2019 as an honour-roll student with an AAS in Dental Hygiene, and I got a monetary scholarship to pursue my BSc in Dental Hygiene.”

And though she now lives a different lifestyle with different traditions, Boodoosingh-Alsuran fondly recalls her childhood in her rural community, difficulties and all. As a child she had a great passion for dancing. “I stared dancing at the age of three with Michael Salikram. I remember attending baal vikaas and taking part in dance and chowtal for four years in a row with the Rio Claro Hindu School,” she said with a smile.

But, she admits, her move to New York and having children has changed her mind set. She has had to work really hard because as good as her childhood memories are, she wants a better lifestyle for her children. “I don’t want them to have to struggle like I did. I made my education my number one priority for them, and I’m not giving up no matter how hard it gets.”