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On Friday, May 17, 2024, the School of Dentistry held its annual Senior Awards Ceremony for Doctor of Dental Surgery graduates. This year’s ceremony included breakfast at the event center in the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham located in the Medical Center.

The emcee of the ceremony, , assistant dean for students and associate clinical professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, welcomed the families and friends who filled the event room.

Ninety-three awards were presented to the senior dental students, recognizing their extraordinary achievements throughout their four years in the School of Dentistry.

Twenty-four dental students were recognized for graduating with a Distinction in Dental Education, having completed coursework in the Teaching Honors curriculum. Six dental students were likewise acknowledged for having completed a rigorous elective program in research enabling them to graduate with a Distinction in Research. Honored as Veterans of The United States Armed Forces or active-duty military personnel, six students were also recognized.

High and Higher Honors distinctions were presented to graduates whose upper-division grade point averages were between 3.50 through 3.69 and 3.70 through 3.89, respectively. Thirty-two graduates achieved these separate distinctions. Two graduates were presented with the Highest Honors, a distinction given to students whose upper division grade point average is 3.9 or higher.

Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society, inducted the memberships of the highest academically ranked students among the class to its San Antonio chapter. Among the 12 new inductees was Joshua Dickie, DDS, who was named the Class of 2024 valedictorian.

One senior from each of the eight group practices was presented with The Senior Clinic Award for Excellence in Clinical Dentistry for their outstanding clinical skills, patient management and leadership.

Group 1: Ranran Huang, DDS
Group 2: Omer El Maghraby, DDS
Group 3: Magdelin Caba, DDS
Group 4: Max Shaw, DDS
Group 5: Katie Labat, DDS
Group 6: Kirsten Grismer, DDS
Group 7: Erika Rangel Juarez, DDS
Group 8: Linchao Lu, DDS

Congratulations to the entire class for your incredible accomplishments! The School of Dentistry leadership, faculty and staff send their best wishes to all º£½ÇÂ×ÂÒ's 2024 graduates.