From dental students to ‘I do’: WVU couple’s journey from classmates to lifelong partners

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When Dr. Jonathan Gore and Dr. Anna Hayton-Gore walked into their first class at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry, they were strangers. That quickly changed.

What began as a shared passion for helping others and studying side by side grew into something deeper—a bond that carried them through dental school and into marriage. 

The couple recently celebrated a whirlwind week filled with major milestones. They graduated from the WVU School of Dentistry with Doctor of Dental Surgery degrees, got married the following day and moved to Parkersburg to begin their next chapter together.

“It’s definitely an amazing weekend and something I am looking forward to. I couldn’t be happier about it,” Jonathan said in an interview conducted before graduation.

At the time, the couple was reflecting on their journey through dental school and the support they gave each other along the way.

“I wanted to have a job where I could help people,” Jonathan said. “I think that dentistry offers you an opportunity to help people and also have a good work-life balance in a way that a lot of other healthcare fields lack.”

Through long days and challenging coursework, one thing remained constant—their support for one another.

“There’s a lot of tests and studying that you have to do to get through dental school,” Anna said. “I think having the support and motivation we gave each other helped us push through.”

West Virginia has always been home for both Jonathan and Anna, which made their decision to attend WVU an easy one.

“I grew up coming with my mom and dad to football games. My mom is a WVU grad,” Jonathan, a native of Hillsboro, WV said. “I didn’t apply anywhere else for undergrad, and I didn’t apply anywhere else for dental school.”

“I went to undergrad at the University of Charleston in West Virginia,” Anna, a native of Parkersburg, WV said. “West Virginia is home for me, and I knew that I wanted to come here.”

Both said they value the close-knit community and faculty support they experienced at WVU.

“I’ve loved my experience here, and the one-on-one attention that you can get from the faculty is wonderful,” Anna said.

“The small class size that WVU has is huge” Jonathan said. “Being able to get that close with your whole class compared to other dental schools that have 100 or more students in a class, it provides a different experience with having 48 students.”

Now officially married, the couple is settled in Parkersburg and looking forward to their future together, both as dentists and as newlyweds.

Photo by Sarah Slaven, K&S Photography, LLP.

-WVU-

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CONTACT: Jessica Wilmoth
Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Dentistry | WVU Dental