Dr. Nicolet DeRose '75

At the end of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" the big reveal is that the father has purchased the daughter a home for her…next to his. Nicolet DeRose's college choice was a similar scenario. The best college was the closest college according to her first-generation Italian parents. And as time often reveals, Nicolet's parents knew best.

Nicolet graduated from UW-Parkside with a degree in chemistry in 1975. She then went on to get her D.D.S. at Loyola University School of Dentistry and an M.S. in pediatric dentistry from Marquette University. She completed her pediatric dental residency at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Nicolet has received the Pyramids of Pride award from the Wisconsin Dental Association for political action. She is a past president of the Racine Dental Association. She is on the Legislative Committee and currently serves as the public policy advocate for the State of Wisconsin for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

A strong advocate of policies that provide greater access to quality dental care for the low-income and uninsured of our community, she is active in Give Kids a Smile, Mission of Mercy and Health Care Network programs providing free and discounted care for children in need. Nicolet and her office staff provide dental education to preschoolers and she frequently invites high school and college students to her office to job shadow.

She is passionate about her profession, her community and her family. Her children are also UW-Parkside alums and she is honored to be recognized by UW-Parkside, a university which gave her the foundation upon which to build her life.