It's Convocation season at 黄色直播, with hundreds of graduates crossing the stage Oct. 20 and 21 in Halifax. Meet one of our newest grads, Steven Mata.
Learn more about Convocation and view webcasts of all the ceremonies at dal.ca/convocation
Steven Mata鈥檚 first weeks of dental school haven鈥檛 gone as smoothly as a cavity-free checkup, but they haven鈥檛 been like pulling teeth, either.
鈥淔un, difficult, and humbling,鈥� is how Steven describes his early classes. 鈥淚 came in thinking I鈥檇 be studying teeth and the nerves around them, and instead I鈥檓 learning every muscle, nerve, bone, joint, and blood vessel from head to toe,鈥� he says of jumping into Dal鈥檚 Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program in August.
Though now a member of the DDS Class of 2030, he鈥檚 also among Dal鈥檚 2026 grads, having wrapped up the final credits of his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology & Immunology and Certificate in Medical Humanities over the summer.
As a busy dental student, Steven now spends his days on Dal鈥檚 Carleton Campus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a recognition of my hard work over the years,鈥� he says of crossing the stage this week. As an undergrad, Steven was certainly busy: his extracurricular achievements include co-founding the Black Science Student Society, serving as president of the 黄色直播 Science Scholars and Leaders Society and co-president of the 黄色直播 Pre-Dental Society, and representing the Faculty of Science for the 黄色直播 Student Union.
His contributions did not go unnoticed: he received a 2025-2026 Faculty Leadership Impact Award and was selected to the Student Leadership Academy鈥檚 High Performance Leadership cohort.
Planning a career
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Dentistry was always Steven鈥檚 goal upon entering Dal. He got interested in the profession as a high school student-athlete at Sacred Heart School of Halifax, when it was a struggle to schedule appointments that didn鈥檛 conflict with games or practices.
After getting to know his dentist and finding out about the work-life balance the profession offers, he knew it was a career path he wanted to pursue.听
Representation matters to Steven, who recognizes that becoming a dentist offers him the chance to help address the lack of diversity in the field and serve the Black community. 鈥淧eople feel more confident and comfortable seeing someone that looks like them,鈥� he says.听
Establishing roots
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Steven was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and grew up around the world. His father, , now an associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, and mother, Nadine Lusamba Kalonji, completed graduate degrees in Japan before moving to Toronto and ultimately settling in Halifax.听
While used to moving, it made sense to stay local given that Dal boasts one of Canada鈥檚 10 accredited dental schools.
Remaining at Dal also allows him to build on the strong leadership foundations he established as an undergrad. The oldest of four siblings and a former captain of Sacred Heart鈥檚 basketball team, Steven鈥檚 existing leadership abilities flourished in university, where he had to 鈥渃ome out of his shell鈥� to make connections in a campus community exponentially larger than the small classes he was used to in high school.
鈥淏e comfortable being uncomfortable,鈥� he says, noting that simply getting out there and making the effort is the key.
鈥淛ust talking to random people in your classes or showing up to events from different societies, finding people with the same passions, whether that鈥檚 going to professional school or having similar backgrounds.鈥�
He describes his leadership style as involving some compromise and give-and-take. 鈥淛ust trying to be flexible, sometimes leading, sometimes letting others lead you.鈥�
Steven is taking a similarly measured approach to dental school and the challenges that come with it, like trying to balance extracurriculars and a personal life with 10 classes this semester and 60 credit hours over the academic year. 鈥淢y goal is to come out tenfold more confident in my skills, a little wiser, and with habits that are both healthy and sustainable,鈥� he says.听
Words a dentist would surely be proud of.