WDA Foundation awards $13,500 in dental and hygiene scholarships

WEST ALLIS, WIS., July 9, 2015 – The Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation is helping lighten the higher-education financial load of 10 dental and dental hygiene students in the state by awarding them a combined $13,500 in scholarships.

Four dental students entering their fourth year at Marquette University School of Dentistry in fall 2015 received $2,500 each in WDA Foundation Tuition Scholarship Awards. These awards are made on the basis of academic achievement, motivation, character and financial need. Students must be Wisconsin residents who rank within the top 25 percent of all state students in their class to be considered.

Lauren Asp of Appleton comes from a dental family. While working in her father Dr. Robert Asp’s office, she came to appreciate dentistry as a career. She has found many ways to give back to the community and plans to continue doing so through dentistry for many years to come.

Leah Marie Gharrity of Stoughton has many different passions, from art and science to teaching and volunteering. After shadowing a dentist and gathering information, Gharrity realized dentistry would allow her to combine most of her passions into one career and help others in the process.

Mallory Van Tatenhove of Sheboygan Falls loved visiting the dentist while growing up, so she took a dental assisting course immediately after high school graduation. Working with dentists she admired and patients who truly needed dental care cemented Van Tatenhove’s desire to become a dentist.

Amy Zelko of Waukesha said dentistry was near the top of her careers list in high school. A mission trip to Guatemala helped her fully grasp the value of dentistry on a global level. Zelko has a particular interest in treating special needs patients.

Aaron Janes of Racine received a $1,000 WDA Foundation/Alliance Scholarship. Funding for this award was donated by the now-disbanded Women’s Alliance of the WDA. It is given to a married Wisconsin resident in his or her second, third or fourth year of dental school. Janes was an ultrasound technician before deciding to pursue a career in dentistry. Married for 10 years, he and his wife have two children.

The WDA Foundation also awards scholarships to support students in Wisconsin technical colleges who are studying dental hygiene. One student at each college is selected to receive a $500 scholarship to help defray education costs.

Five students enrolled in Wisconsin technical college dental hygiene programs received $500 each. Hygiene scholarship recipients must be state residents with academic achievement and financial need. The schools, their scholarship recipients and students’ cities of residence include:

• Chippewa Valley Technical College – Chelsey Weiss of Ellsworth
• Fox Valley Technical College – Jessica Urbschat of Neenah
• Nicolet Technical College – Kaleen Dennee ofCrandon
• Northcentral Technical College – Samantha Singer of Wausau
• Northeast Wisconsin Technical College –Fenglin Zhang of Green Bay

“Today’s students face a difficult financial road. Cost of attending dental school hovers around $200,000, so every scholarship dollar makes the journey a bit easier,” WDA Foundation President Dr. Loren Swanson, a retired general dentist from Oshkosh, Wis., explained.

“Dental hygienists are an important part of the dental care delivery team, so the foundation is pleased to be able to help support them too,” he added.

Since 2000, the WDA Foundation has awarded nearly $175,000 in scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students to help assure quality dental care will always be available to Badger State residents.

Donations from many people and organizations make assistance help the foundation provide financial support for statewide charitable dental care, oral hygiene outreach and education efforts. Visit the WDA Foundation donor page on WDA.org for information on how to help.