The American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) and Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) have selected the winners of the 2019 ADAA/DANB Scholarship, which was founded to help dental assistants turn their professional development plans into reality.
The ADAA/DANB Scholarship is open to all ADAA members in good standing. It is awarded annually to dental assistants who demonstrate a strong commitment to career growth and lifelong learning in the dental assisting profession. This year, out of 36 applicants, the ADAA/DANB Scholarship Committee selected four winners:
- Staci Schory, CDA
- Agata White
- Tracie Wright, CDA
- Mayuly Xayyaveth, CDA
Ms. Schory, of Auburn, Indiana, works as a dental assisting educator. She plans to use her scholarship funds to offset the cost of attending the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) Dental Infection Control Boot Camp in January in Chicago, as well as the American Dental Education Association Dental Program Directors’ Conference in June in Minneapolis.
“Overall, I feel these activities will support my short- and long-term career goals and help me continue to promote the dental assisting profession and expand my knowledge,” Ms. Schory says.
Ms. White, of Braselton, Georgia, is a dental assisting student who serves as a SkillsUSA secretary and was recently inducted into the National Technical Honor Story. She plans to use her scholarship help pay for the cost of taking DANB exams, with the goal of earning DANB CDA certification. She also plans to attend continuing education seminars, as well as the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting in March in Atlanta.
“I want to educate myself as much as possible to become successful in my new career,” Ms. White says. “Becoming nationally certified would be a wonderful step in the right direction for me and my education. I would love for that dream to become a reality.”
Ms. Wright, of Royalston, Massachusetts, has 25 years of experience in the dental field working in both dental assisting and hygiene, and she’s been teaching dental assisting at the high school level for almost 15 years. She plans to use her scholarship funds toward completing the OSAP-DALE Foundation Dental Infection Prevention and Control Certificate Program, as well attending the Yankee Dental Convention in Boston.
“During my years as a dental assisting teacher, I noticed some offices do not have a properly trained infection control coordinator,” Ms. Wright shares. “For this reason, I decided I wanted to become an expert in the area of infection control and pass that expertise on to my students for them to take into the workforce with them when they graduate. I am extremely excited about finishing the OSAP-DALE Foundation Certificate Program.”
Ms. Xayyaveth, of Derby, Connecticut, has been working as a dental assistant for about seven years and is in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree in public health. She strives to become an expert in the area of infection control and prevention, as well as a future educator, so that she can share her knowledge with others to promote safe, healthy dental practices and communities.
Ms. Xayyaveth also plans to use her scholarship funds to attend the 2020 OSAP Dental Infection Control Boot Camp. “Attending the OSAP Boot Camp will provide me with a comprehensive review of all the basics of dental infection control, to help ensure that I am following the correct protocols and learning new ways to keep our staff and patients safe. Enhancing my knowledge in dental infection control will allow for growth in my career as a dental assistant.”
To learn about other scholarship opportunities for dental assistants, visit danb.org or adaausa.org.
