By Anonymous - November 22, 2013

The Loma Linda chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) held its 2013 Vendor Fair on the evening of November 6 in the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center from 5:30 to 7:30.
 

Dental students (L-R) Jonathan Kim, D3, Diana Jin, D3, Jeremy Haines, D4, and Eimy Rodriguez, D3, engage a vendor representative.

Approximately 400 interested dental students swarmed thirty-one vendor tables manned by representatives of products or services ranging from dental materials to loupes to practice management and loan support. Including Platinum sponsor, Medical Protective, and Gold sponsor, Procter and Gamble, the fair proved useful for students at any level of their dental education.

The fair provided first-year students the opportunity to speak with representatives from all of the loupes companies and to organize a group of classmates to negotiate lower prices! Different representatives from programs offering scholarships and student loan repayment were available.

Amanda Zenthoefer, D4, and Timothy Prewitt, D1, enjoy the fair.

Second-year students were able to appreciate the different materials being presented as well as the scholarship information; and even though first and second year students are not quite ready to think about loan management, the opportunity was provided to know what is available.

Third- and fourth-year students perhaps benefitted most from the cross section of vendors who made it possible to upgrade loupes, peruse a variety of dental materials, explore postgraduate options, meet practice management providers, or consider a military dental career.

Tina Saw, D4, Lawryn Ask, D3, Robert Perry, D2, Doug Baasch, D4, and Uri Lee, D2, consider the possibilities.

There were refreshments and awesome prizes, including $200 visa gift cards, loupes lights, wireless curing lights, iPads and more. LLU ASDA President Tom Schaffer and his intrepid fellow officers deemed the evening a success.

The LLUSD chapter of American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is growing but needs many more leaders. Its current slate of officers include:

  • Douglas Baasch, class of 2014, ASDA District 11 (California) Communications Liaison
  • BreeAnn Christiansen, 2014, outgoing legislative officer
  • Jeremy Haines, class of 2014, representative and advisor
  • Amanda Zenthoefer, class of 2014, outgoing chief editor, The Explorer
  • Tom Schaffer, class of 2015, president and 1st delegate
  • Uri Lee, class of 2016, vice president and 2nd delegate
  • Kari Mann, class of 2016, ASDA secretary
  • Jeffery Pascal, class of 2016, social chair
  • Robert (Bobby) Perry, class of 2016, incoming legislative liaison
  • Miranda Kore, class of 2017, representative
  • Michael Siy, class 2017, incoming chief editor, The Explorer
ASDA officers (L-R): Michael Siy, D1, Miranda Kore, D1, Jeremy Haines, D4, Amanda Zenthoefer, D4, Doug Baasch, D4, BreeAnn Christiansen, D4, Jeffery Pascal, D2, Kari Mann, D2, Thomas Schaffer, D3, Urie Lee, D2, Robert Perry, D2

Former LLU ASDA president Jeremy Haines says, the local chapter “will help you bridge the gap between the daily grind and the bigger picture that is the profession of dentistry.”