Four benefits of being bilingual

As part of such a diverse class of dental students, I find myself in awe of how many different languages we can collectively speak. The diversity in my class alone is reflective of the diversity that we have in the U.S. According to the US Census Bureau, about a quarter of Americans speak a language other than English at home. In 2010, Spanish was the widest-spoken language other than English. Other common languages include French, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean and German. Clearly, in today’s globalized world, multilingualism is increasingly important. Here are some reasons speaking another language can benefit both you and the people around you…

A first generation American applies to dental school

BednarskiI am a first generation American. Both my mother and father grew up in communist Poland. After overcoming many obstacles, they were fortunate to obtain their U.S. citizenship and establish themselves in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. My parent’s immigration to the United States is heroic in my eyes. They made sure their future family would have lives filled with opportunity. Neither of my parents had the chance to go to college or get advanced degrees, but they understood the meaning of education in the U.S. They instilled in me the importance of achieving. My parents did not specifically push me into a professional degree. However, due to their constant encouragement to excel, I grew to love academia and dreamed of becoming a dentist. The next question was: how on earth was I going to achieve this?

How to use social media to network at ASDA meetings

GCA networkingAnnual Session 2016 in Dallas, Texas was an incredible success. Nearly 600 dental students from every dental school in the U.S. attended. Meetings like this can be a great opportunity to meet new people and practice your networking skills. Social media outlets are can be used to connect you with other dental student attendees.

ASDA Fever: Your gateway to networking and mentorship

Jack Lupfer District 2 meetingI still remember the first ASDA event I attended. It was the District 2 meeting during fall 2014. Since Stony Brook’s ASDA chapter was hosting and that’s where I attend undergrad, it made sense for me to go. To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Despite the fact I had been a predental member of ASDA for two years, I hadn’t attended any district events. However, by the end of the meeting, I was motivated to do more with my membership. I had officially caught “ASDA Fever.

New to networking? Watch these videos!

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 8.57.57 AMHave you ever found yourself at a networking event with seemingly nothing to say? It can be intimidating to walk up to strangers and start a conversation. Luckily, you can hone your networking skills with a little practice and some valuable tips. ASDA has made 11 videos on networking to help you launch into your professional career with confidence. Watch the videos in this post and check out ASDA’s Networking 101 page online.