At the sound of three bones breaking in perfect sequence as my ski-boot-covered foot slammed onto the ground, my adventure day at Squaw Valley turned disastrous. I was never the student to break the “no skiing, no snowboarding” rule of dental school. Now, one surgery later, I found myself in excruciating pain and unable to walk.
This past April, as part of the ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day in Washington D.C, 1,000 dentists and dental students went to Capitol Hill to lobby for the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), legislation that would help children with congenital anomalies.
During my undergraduate years, I would dwell on my grades. Getting an 89% on an exam would leave me feeling defeated and frustrated — I was so close to an “A,” after all! Now that I am a third-year attending a pass/fail dental school, I feel as though I’m able to perform at the best of my intellectual abilities with minimal academic stress.
During ASDA’s 2019 Annual Session, Meharry ASDA received the “Outstanding Community Outreach” Gold Crown Award. One of the largest and most influential programs our student leaders have implemented on campus is our Meharry Oral Health Day.
Jordan Brunson, East Carolina ’20, was awarded the ASDA Distinguished Leader Award at this year’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago. The award recognizes a fourth-year dental student who has made significant contributions to their ASDA chapter.
Saving for retirement, paying down debt, buying a home or building liquidity — when extra money is tight, where should your dollars go first? At the beginning of a budding career, nothing seems farther away than retirement. It can be difficult to focus on saving for an event 40 years in the future, when today’s needs and desires seem much more urgent.
I was inspired to see great passion from ASDA’s chapters across the country this November. Everyone’s motivation to create grassroots initiatives was refreshing and added fuel to the advocacy fire. My #ASDAfever was reignited. Here are my top five moments from ASDA’s 2019 Advocacy Month.
