Cora Ueland Scholarship Recipients 2007

		Erin Kinoshita Schlough As a first-year dental hygiene student at Foothill College, Erin serves as vice president for the Class of 2008. Since becoming a dental hygiene student and a member of SADHA, she has taken the opportunity to become involved in several oral health-related community activities. She looks forward to continuing her volunteer activities as well as conversion to full ADHA/CDHA membership upon licensure. Erin is a graduate of Santa Clara University and currently resides in Redwood City, CA with her husband, Bill and two kitties. During the rare times when she is not studying, she enjoys golfing, skiing and attending San Francisco Giants games.
		Katrina Virgin Katrina Virgin, ASS was born in San Diego, California. She is a wife of 6 years and a mother of a 3 year old daughter. She is in her senior year of the dental hygiene program at Southwestern College in National City, California. She has been the dental hygiene club president for two consecutive years. She has been a member of SADHA throughout her dental hygiene education. She enjoys volunteering at events such as Special Olympics, working sealant clinics and helping out with various health fairs. She has volunteered for dental health educational programs through Share the Care and Smiles. She plans to continue her education and obtain a Masters in education. Her future goals are to work as an RDH in a periodontal office as well as go on to teach clinical skills at a local dental hygiene program.

Erin Kinoshita's winning essay

The Big Picture

As a dental hygiene student, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day aspects of school and lose sight of the bigger picture. In a relatively short time, we will become practicing RDHs but that’s not where our professional journey ends, it’s where it begins.

Every SADHA member should recognize the benefits of ADHA, and subsequently CDHA, membership. This is our opportunity to join an organization that can have a positive bearing on our future. The benefits to becoming an ADHA member include:

• Advocacy – ADHA serves us personally by advancing and extending the practice of dental hygiene. What one could not hope to achieve as an individual, one is able to accomplish as part of a national organization.
  
• Development - ADHA membership opens the doors to a myriad of opportunities for professional development through networking, leadership, continuing education, service and research.
  
• Help – As ADHA members, we are not alone. We will have peace of mind knowing that an entire community of peers is ready to support us as we leave the security of our respective dental hygiene programs and make the leap into professional practice.
  
• Awareness – ADHA serves to keep its members informed of the latest information that effects the dental hygiene profession through its component, constituent and national member communications. ADHA helps to make our jobs easier by raising the public’s awareness of oral health, and enables its members to stay up-to-date on new research and practices that impact how we provide oral health care to the public.

Above all, ADHA demonstrates a commitment to its members by continuing to preserve and maintain the value of the dental hygiene profession. Converting to full membership upon licensure can be the first step in our professional journey and serves to create lasting intrinsic value by allowing us to play a part in shaping the direction of dental hygiene.

Katrina Virgin's winning essay

I It takes an extraordinary person to be a dental hygienist. Dental hygienists are not only intelligent, compassionate and skilled but they are team players. I like to think of SADHA and ADHA/CDHA as our teams.

SADHA membership provides students with access to ample information. It provides opportunities to earn scholarship money, attend legislative sessions, as well as meet life long friends. Peer reviewed journals and magazines such as Access and The Journal of Dental Hygiene are included in membership. With all the research we do as students, these peer reviewed articles come in handy. When we become professionals, and finally have that license in our hand that states we are a registered dental hygienist, we have the opportunity to convert our membership to ADHA/CDHA.

Being a member of the ADHA/CDHA has priceless benefits. The number one reason to convert from being a member of SADHA, to being a member of ADHA/CDHA, is for job security. The ADHA helps our voices to be heard legislatively. We work so hard for our degrees that we have to protect the value of our education and the integrity of our license. The ADHA works to secure the future of dental hygiene.

The ADHA/CDHA not only works for us legislatively but it also provides us with access to information which helps us stay current on issues that are imperative for our dental hygiene profession. The subscription to The Journal of Dental Hygiene we receive as members provides us with invaluable scientific and technical articles on clinical practice. These articles will help us keep up with this ever changing world.

As a newly registered dental hygienist, it will be exciting yet intimidating when looking for work. Once converted to an ADHA/CDHA membership, we can receive employment assistance as well as have the benefit of state employment job referral services. If we choose to, we can even work over seas. The ADHA can help supply us with foreign employment contacts.

Having professional contacts are important, but what is equally important is having the opportunity to form new friendships. The ADHA/CDHA sponsors numerous meetings and activities with the guarantee of meeting people just like us. We can develop professional contacts in addition to forming new friendships.

After finishing our degrees, the last thing on our minds would be continuing education courses. The ADHA/CDHA offers courses through self-study, annual sessions, and at component continuing education events. They make it easy to get the CE units we need, and at a discounted price!

When starting your career as a registered dental hygienist you may think you can fly solo… why take the chance? The ADHA/CDHA is the team that will always be there for you. They will support you and lift you up. Converting your membership may be the best decision you make, besides going into a dental hygiene program that is!