Dental Hygiene Graduates Honored with Pinning Ceremony

SFSC honored graduates of its Dental Hygiene program in a traditional pinning ceremony in the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park on Thursday, May 4. The graduates had just completed their Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene.

Receiving their pins were Maritza Banda, Danielle Lyn Barnhill, Chenoa Grace Bond, Jeanette Contreras, Baylea N. Dery, David Moises Fernandez-Castanon, Ivy G. Main, Cyntia G. Olvera, Kindall Aynnalee Patton, Maria Tirado, Ashley Elizabeth Tufts, Nakisha M. Whetton, and Kimberly M. Wright.

Dr. Michele Heston, SFSC vice president for academic affairs and student services, welcomed the Dental Hygiene graduates and offered words of wisdom. “No exercise is better for the human heart than reaching down and lifting someone else up, to serve others, and to enrich your community,” she said. “This truly defines a successful life, for success is personal and it is charitable and it is the sum, not of our possessions, but of how we helped others.”

Graduates were presented their dental hygiene pins by Dr. Deborah Milliken, chair of SFSC’s Dental Education program.

Addressing the graduates, Dr. Milliken offered parting words of advice: “The faculty is so proud of you and the work you’ve accomplished. It is my task to leave you with things to consider about where to go from here.

“Don’t forget about yourself,” she said. “This is a time that will never come again. The choices you make will have an impact on where you go from here. As you’re exploring your options for employment, understand the people you’re trying to connect with. Be aware of the people around you. They’re looking to you for guidance, help, support, friendship, and care, even on your bad days. As you’re re-entering a community that you’ve probably neglected for the last few years, invest in your community where people need you. Look for opportunities to be there for others who can benefit from your gifts. You have a lot to offer. And there are many who have a lot of needs. And remember to thank God for your many blessings and share those thanks with others.”

Special recognition was given to four of the graduates. The Golden Scaler Award was presented to Ashley Tufts for demonstrating remarkable skill and talent over the course of her classes. The Colgate Student Total Achievement Recognition (STAR) Award was presented to Chenoa Bond for showing excellence and commitment to the Dental Hygiene profession. The Community Award was presented to Baylea Dery for her special interest/achievement in community dentistry and dental public health. The Outstanding Student Award was presented to Cyntia Olvera.

Upon completing the Dental Hygiene program, graduates become dental hygienists by passing the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination and the Florida State Clinical Licensure Examination. They can, then, work alongside a dentist as a member of a dental health care team.

For more information about SFSC’s Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene, call Danielle Ochoa, Health Sciences advisor, at ext. 7027 or email healthsciences@southflorida.edu.