My activities as a SADHA member include fundraising. I am the class fundraiser and last year I was the vice president. I plan activities for the program to make money for future events such as the Pinning Ceremony. Some activities I have conducted include cookie sales, toothbrush sales, Listerine sales, and the most recent activity was selling Halloween goodie bags. The goodie bags included a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and a set of plastic vampire teeth.
Besides fundraising, I also have participated at the FDHA Symposium. Last year I went as a student delegate where I got to experience the annual Florida dental hygiene meeting. This year, I was one of the students who were picked to present their table clinic at the symposium. Although I did not win any place, I was able to show the importance of going green in dental hygiene.
Since I started the dental hygiene program, I have been involved in many community service volunteer projects. I’ve walked to cure Lupus and Diabetes. I’ve also educated the community on oral health care at several health fairs. Such as the St. Patrick’s Day Festival, Southwest High School, and New Direction Christian Center. I also did a service-learning project that was held at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Primary Learning Center. My partner and I taught several classes of pre-K and kindergarteners the importance of safety barriers and how to properly brush their teeth.
When I first started the dental hygiene program, my goals were to finish the program and continue on my education to become a dentist. However, I’ve gained so much knowledge on what a dental hygienist can do for the entire community that my goals have shifted. I now would like to complete this program and finish with my Associates of Arts degree. I also would like to study something that deals with culture differences. Although I am not sure as to what exactly I would be majoring in, I’ve gained feel to what I would love most. Education is also something I am very drawn to and this is why honors clinic can help me as to what exactly I would like to continue my career with.
I participated in the Peer Facilitation program and I enjoyed it very much. It felt very good to give my knowledge and experience to the freshmen. It brought me great pleasure when the freshmen would ask me to come back. In fact, one of the reasons why I am applying to honors clinic is because some of the freshmen persuade me to join. It’s truly rewarding when you know you taught something that can be taken into someone’s daily life.
