For Ilham Spingher, walking across the commencement stage this year is more than a personal milestone; it’s the culmination of a family’s journey across continents, generations, and against the odds.

Born in Afghanistan, his family was forced into exile in 2000, leaving behind a life of professional prominence to start over in Virginia. Spingher’s father, once a top-ranking dentist, took on taxi shifts and tech gigs to feed seven mouths in a new land. Their grandfather had been among Afghanistan’s first oral surgeons, educated in France and bringing dentistry home to build a legacy that, despite geopolitical upheaval, refused to be buried.

It was at his sister’s graduation from Howard’s dental hygiene program in 2017 that Spingher first imagined his future at Howard, watching graduates embraced onstage by a faculty member named Dr. Reginald Salter “I said to myself, ‘I want to be part of that. I want to get that hug too.’”

Years later, as he prepares to get that hug, he’s also accomplished much more. In his time at Howard, he was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the nation’s highest honor society for dental students, awarded to only the top 10% of the class based on academic excellence, professionalism, and integrity. He also served as president of the school’s holistic club, a role that allowed them to nurture community and wellness in an intense academic environment.

Dental school wasn’t without its challenges. But with guidance from mentors like Dr. Andre' Farquharson, Spingher began to reclaim his purpose. “He told me, ‘Find your passion, and you’ll get through. And I realized I’m doing this for my family. So, they never have to start over again.”

That mission of building safety, dignity, and opportunity for the people he loves remains core to his vision. Whether it’s dreams of farmland and greenhouses as a family refuge or a future orthodontic practice grounded in care and compassion, Ilham is forging a legacy of resilience in his own name. 

Soon, he will begin a prestigious orthodontics residency at West Virginia University, becoming one of the first three Howard graduates ever accepted into the program. 

“Howard made me strong,” Spingher said. “I’ve learned how to be a better listener, a better professional, and more than anything how to be more human.”

His advice to future students? Don’t miss the joy. “I’d do it all again. But this time, I’d stress a little less. Everything falls into place.”