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Tooth extractions, cavity fillings, cleanings. In Guatemala’s highlands, University of Mississippi student Capri Lobotzke stood ready to assist dentists providing care to the people of Tecpan.

For Lobotzke, who graduates in May, the experience was as personal as it was professional. The year before, she had double jaw surgery, an intense procedure that ignited her interest in dentistry.

Her time in Guatemala, as a junior on the university's first Dental Brigade mission, gave her a glimpse into the flip side, that of a practitioner.

“We saw over 100 patients that week, with people who have never seen the dentist before, who don't know what floss is,” Lobotzke said. “It was impactful to see how the people really wanted to see the dentist.

“In America, no one wants to go. There, they wanted to get out of pain, even with minimal anesthesia.”

A biomedical engineering major in the from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Lobotzke is set to begin dental school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this summer.

During her sophomore year at Ole Miss, Lobotzke elected to have a corrective procedure to align her bite. The nine-hour procedure required breaking both her upper and lower jaws.

The surgery resolved persistent and life-affecting issues that could not be fixed with orthodontia alone. But the grueling recovery required her to follow a six-week liquid diet with a splint wired into her upper jaw.

Lobotzke emerged healed, with a vastly improved quality of life and inspired to take on the role of a healer.

“After having surgery, I thought, 'OK, I really want to do this,'" she said. "There's so much that dentists don't know about being a patient, especially when it's something really taxing.

“The experience helped me understand the transformative power of these procedures and what it could be like to give that to someone, having been in their shoes. Even if it's not jaw surgery, just being a patient – I know what that's like, and I can use that experience.”

Lobotzke’s drive to show up for others naturally followed her other commitments at Ole Miss. She began volunteering at Grove Grocery, the campus food pantry, in her freshman year. She has served as its director for two years.

In that time, Grove Grocery has served almost 5,000 people more than 30,000 meals and collaborated with local vendors including Crumbl Cookies, Starbucks, Dollar General and Kroger.

“My brother was adopted from a household that struggled with food insecurity, so that’s why I wanted to get involved,” she said. “Meeting people who are impacted by it, and seeing what a footprint we have, made me want to invest.”

Abbie Austin, case manager of UMatter and Grocery Grove adviser, called Lobotzke “super organized and wise beyond her years.”

“She’s viewed as a leader among her peers and other staff at Grove Grocery." Austin said. "She’s led donation drives, organized the pantry, streamlined operations and set up several partnerships in the community and at the university.”

The daughter of Steed Lobotzke, an offensive line coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Lobotzke discovered Ole Miss through football.

As a freshman, she became a student administrator for the Rebels' football program. For four years, she has answered phones, assisted with tours and worked game days under the supervision of administrative support specialist Alicia VanLandeghem.

“Freshman year, Capri quickly stepped into her student role in the football office and gradually earned more responsibility, being given tasks that few would be entrusted with in her role,” VanLandeghem said. “She has not only been a reliable, hard worker, but she also brings a light to those around her, and I know she will continue to do so wherever she ends up next.”

Lobotzke credits her parents, Kristin and Steed, for shepherding her through her journey and teaching her to confidently advocate for herself and others.

“Their constant love and support empowered me to grow into the woman I am today,” she said.

Whether it’s in the hallways of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center, the Grove Grocery or her clinical dental experiences, Lobotzke is driven by a sense of purpose: to see what people need and find a way to help them. For her future patients, that will mean providing care that transcends the clinical, grounded in experience and compassion.

Top: Capri Lobotzke, a biomedical engineering senior and Honors College student from Colorado Springs, Colorado, has spent four years at Ole Miss leading Grove Grocery, volunteering in dental clinics in Guatemala and working in the Ole Miss football program while preparing for a future as a dentist. Photo by Hunt Mercier/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

See more photos from Capri Lobotzke's Journey to Commencement