Winners selected for the 2016 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship
The DALE Foundation, the official affiliate of the Dental Assisting National Board Inc. (DANB), has selected the winners of the 2016 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship. This impressive group of dental professionals exemplifies the spirit of the scholarship with their passion for the dental field and commitment to lifelong learning.
After receiving more than 100 applications, the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship Committee chose eight recipients for this prestigious scholarship, which helps oral health-care professionals pursue professional development and support their mentorship activities.
This year, four winners were selected in two categories. Category one is for dental professionals who have held DANB certification for more than two years. Category two is for dental professionals who are not DANB certified or who have held DANB certification for less than two years. The winners will receive between $250 and $1,000 and three continuing education products of their choice from the DALE Foundation. The following winners were chosen based on their dedication to the oral health-care profession and mentorship experiences.
FIRST-PLACE WINNERS
• Alvin Hsieh, CDA, category one—Alvin Hsieh will use his award to renew DANB Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification and continue his professional development, including earning DANB Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant (CPFDA) certification.
• Katrina Knapp, CDA, category two—Katrina Knapp will use her award to complete dental hygiene school and earn a bachelor’s degree.
SECOND-PLACE WINNERS
• Kantres Davis, CDA, category one—Kantres Davis will use her award for an expanded functions course at Missouri College.
• Laura Vickery, CDA, category two—Laura Vickery plans on using her award to earn DANB CDA certification, with an ultimate goal of teaching in a dental assistant program.
THIRD-PLACE WINNERS
• L’tanya Barnes, CDA, category one—L’tanya Barnes will use her award to continue her professional development by becoming an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) in Ohio.
• Amber Justus, CDA, category two—Amber Justus plans on applying her award toward her EFDA coursework in Ohio.
FOURTH-PLACE WINNERS
• Alli Jensen, CDA, category one—Alli Jensen plans on using her award to earn DANB Certified Restorative Functions Dental Assistant (CRFDA) certification.
• Bijan Mahboubi, category two—Bijan Mahboubi plans to apply his award toward a volunteer mentoring program in India. There he will work with a dentist to provide free dental care to people without access to oral healthcare and educate them about oral health.
The DALE Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides continuing education to dental professionals and conducts research to promote oral health, launched this scholarship in 2014 to honor the late Liz Koch, who served as Chief Operating Officer of DANB and the DALE Foundation before her untimely passing in 2011. This memorial scholarship commemorates her many years of service and contributions in support of dental assistants and her commitment to lifelong learning.
Read more about the winners at the DALE Foundation website.
Information about the 2017 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship will be available in spring 2017. Individuals and organizations interested in donating to the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship can donate online by visiting the DALE Foundation’s scholarship webpage.
