Houston ASDA
A Journey from Coarse to Fine
The American Student Dental Association. If you would’ve asked me 3 years ago what this organization meant to me I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea of what the organization even was. I found out about ASDA a few months before starting dental school when I stumbled upon the Houston ASDA Facebook page. I began to see all of the great events that Houston ASDA had and what the organization stood for---I was automatically intrigued, wanted to learn more and get involved. I began researching what ASDA was and came to find out how Houston ASDA embodied and mirrored the national mission statement of protecting and advancing the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students. Most importantly it was a way to introduce students to lifelong involvement in organized dentistry which is an opportunity that is unlike any other organization. It was evident to me that this organization was one that provided opportunities of enrichment beyond what dental school had to offer—the ASDA fever was real!
I immediately got involved with Houston ASDA serving as First Year Delegate alongside many other Houston ASDA leaders who showed me the ropes and all things ASDA. Throughout dental school I have seen the efforts of many leaders help transform our entire leadership and chapter around. We have had people like Adam Shisler, Katie Sowa, and Andrew Naeger spend countless hours behind re-structuring and refining our chapter into what it is today. The backbone of Houston ASDA lies in the committees and each member that makes up these committees. Every year I am left in awe at the commitment and dedication that each committee puts into making sure that they hit every goal that they put forth in front of them. Each leader adds an exceptional value to the organization as a whole. Most importantly, we would not be the chapter we are today if it weren’t for the passion for dentistry that our student body has. I truly enjoy seeing the passions that our students embody with regard to organized dentistry and their efforts to join us in our events that help expand their interest in this realm and beyond.
The transformation to the Houston ASDA we are today started around 2009, but even within the last 3 years I have seen the organization grow in ways that have been absolutely extraordinary. Today you are reading this first blog post on our brand new website that truly helps exemplify who we are as a chapter. We have a new phone application that is used nearly daily from sending out push notifications to our students to checking in at our many events that we hold. We have a cooking Youtube series, a new Casino Night project in the works, an ever expanding lunch and learn program, an exceptional pre dental committee that works closely with Texas predental societies including our new National ASDA Predental Chapter at U of H, an outstanding newsletter, events to promote community involvement and awareness, a brand new wellness committee that helps promote physical and mental wellness throughout dental school, and much more! To write our accomplishments out in a blog post would truly not serve justice to the hard work that our leaders have put in to the many events that we have completed.
It is difficult not to be proud of Houston ASDA. We have come a long way and continue to grow as an organization. I look forward to what the future holds for Houston ASDA. With brand new minds being added to the leadership yearly, creative and innovative ideas are also included with their addition. We strive to reach new heights and set goals higher than the year prior. We continue to polish who we are as an organization to a finer version of ourselves.
We are Students. We are ASDA Gold Crown. We are Houston ASDA.
