Challenging road led student to Match Day

Dennis Maar II is one of the UNMC College of Medicine students who will be matching on Friday, March 18. Below, he shares his story.

Dennis Maar II thought he lived a normal life — even though he and his family experienced physical and emotional abuse by his father, who struggled with alcohol and methamphetamine use disorders.

“I thought it was normal to go to bed wondering if I would wake up in the morning. It wasn’t until the third grade when I finally realized my life wasn’t normal. I started to understand my friends didn’t have to deal with the same problems,” said Maar, who grew up in central Nebraska.

During his sophomore year of high school, following an episode under the influence, his father nearly died after hitting a semi-truck.

“Even though I told everyone it had no impact on me, the truth is, I hit rock bottom,” Maar said. “My grades tanked, and I wasn’t sure I would go to college, let alone medical school. I felt lost, so I got involved in wrestling, which was an outlet and way to cope. Then I got involved with church youth group and learned a lot about struggling and others’ problems."

He has forgiven his father for the hurt caused in the past.

"I don’t blame him for his addiction. He’s a great person when he’s not on drugs,” Maar said. “Meth affects the brain, and it’s hard to come back down. He’s a lot better person now, though he still has some struggles.”

In medical school, one of his most memorable experiences was as a teaching assistant coordinator for an undergrad summer program designed to help underrepresented students get into a health care professions.

“One of the girls I helped wrote me a letter after the program. She wrote, ‘If anyone has had the biggest impact on me here, it is you, DJ. From the first week you showed the video of your story, I knew there was a possibility of myself making it because I have a similar background to yours. You were the line of hope I was looking for. Within you, I was able to see myself overcome any obstacle, not only within my journey to medicine but within life itself.’”

Maar said it took a lot of support and hard work for him to succeed.

“I want to use all the skills I’ve learned to give back in the future and create a path for people like myself to follow and succeed in life and otolaryngology,” he said.