Dr. Siri Ziese

Dr. Siri Ziese grew up struggling financially with her Yugoslavian immigrant parents. “My grandparents were displaced refugees from Yugoslavia who were interned in Russian work camps during World War II. Following their release, they immigrated to Solingen where my mother grew up in the poverty of Post-war Germany,” reflected Dr. Ziese, “In 1976 my mother married and immigrated to the U.S.A. where she struggled to learn English and integrate into American society.” Because of her parents’ limited finances, Dr. Ziese spent her early years with very little resources in Grizzly Flat.

For Ziese, the grant came at just the right time and allowed her make a three-year commitment to working at Diamond Springs Dental Center, where she worked as a dental assistant when she was in college.

The clinic treats children and adults from impoverished communities from as much as 100 miles away because of their lack of local access to dental care. “My life experiences in Grizzly Flat as well as my family’s long struggle with social and economic hardship have inspired me to serve the community I am so familiar with. The grant is an amazing blessing and is having a huge impact on my life.”

A graduate of Loma Linda class of 2007, Ziese said she and her husband were planning to move out of state due to student loan debt and cost of living, even though she had spent her childhood in Diamond Springs.

“This area and the clinic is home to me,” says Dr. Zeise. “The staff here and my patients are like family. I am so grateful I am able to stay and am indebted to anyone who has given to the CDA Foundation in support of this program.”