Original Source: IndyStar.com

At the age of 10, I went to an orthodontist for obligatory braces. He found out I liked math and science and loved art. With this combination of interests, he thought I would be a great dentist.

This is surprising only because at that time, in 1968, less than 1 percent of dentists were women. I ignored this fact and decided if Dr. Howard Baker thought I would be great, I would be.

I did the research and planned it all out. Most parents would have humored the child. Mine were so confident that they made a wooden plaque that said Dr. Cynthia Schubbe, D.D.S., and put it away in a closet. They brought it to my graduation ceremony from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1983.

Some people are lucky and get their big break early. I was one of them, because of the two wonderful people who raised me. Their work ethic was inspirational, and I wanted to be just like them. My parents gave me a legacy of persistence and hard work as the keys to success. I had finished three years of undergraduate work at the IU-Purdue Fort Wayne campus when the dental school accepted me a year early to begin training for my chosen profession.

Many times I substituted vision for reality. During a time of double-digit interest rates, 1983 was a difficult year to begin searching for a job or starting a business.

After two temporary positions were completed within a year, I found an independent associate position in a small Fishers office in 1984. The two dentists who owned the satellite office needed someone to build up the patient base. By calling all the existing names in the charts and baby-sitting the phone six days a week, I began rebuilding the practice. Luckily, my newlywed husband was supportive of my long hours.

These first patients sent more patients, and my practice in Fishers grew as fast as the town.

When I accepted the associate position, I made sure I had the right to force a purchase if it became necessary. It became necessary in 1986 when it became clear that the owners and I had many differences of opinion.