The Austin District Dental Hygienists' Society
2011 Academic Dental Hygiene Scholarships

On Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at Tres Amigos Restaurant in Austin, TX, the Austin District Dental Hygienists’ Society awarded Scholarships to three members of the Student Chapter of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association at the Austin Community College (ACC). The Scholarship is in the amount of “One Full Year’s Active Membership dues for the American Dental Hygienists Association” for the year 2012.

Our first scholarship recipient is Shermance Morris. “After thriving in the business world for almost over a decade, Shermance took some time off to be a full time mother.” After years of raising her children, Shermance researched different professions, and talked with her dentist , hygienist, and the ACC Dental Hygiene Director and started on a path that would change her life. She maintains a 3.7 GPA. Shermance has served as the ACC Student Chapter Representative 2009 to the present and is currently serving as the Student Delegate to the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association (TDHA). On the TDHA Board of Directors, Shermance is an active member of Council/Committees of TDHA including Area Media Spokesperson, Public Affairs Council, and Governmental Affairs Council. Her achievements and honors are not limited to dental hygiene. Pre-dental hygiene, Shermance received numerous honors while working with Dell Computers, and she was also the Valedictorian of her high school class at Bastrop High. While at Texas State University, she was awarded Best Sales Presentation. Her volunteer activities have included several sealant projects, fluoride varnish projects, Hope Fest 2010, Vacation Bible School in 2009 and 2010, and Pack 365 Cub Scouts. According to Shermance, the importance of being part of your professional association is “it gives a voice to the individuals which would otherwise be lost in a sea of other individuals. ….it provides a platform in which our cumulative voices can be heard”

Our second recipient for the scholarship is Rachel Bolton. Rachel maintains a 3.56 GPA and currently serves as the Student Chapter of ADHA President. In 2009-2010, she served as the Student Chapter Secretary. Rachel feels it’s important to belong to a professional organization such as the ADHA because along with a positive social network to rely on and a good learning environment for continuing education, we as professionals have a louder voice when advocating for the future of our career. Rachel’s honors include receiving the 2008-2010 Scholastic Leadership Award. Several volunteer activities have kept her busy serving her community including six Fluoride Varnish programs at several Head Start centers in the Austin area, TDHA “Sealants Across Texas” at ACC in November 2010, and Williamson County Animal Shelter Clean up Day in March 2010. Rachel is a member of the “Austin No-Kill Coalition” since 2009. When asked what inspired her career choice, Rachel explains that while her childhood of seven yrs of braces, ten extractions and two surgeries lead to a hatred for the dentist, the smells in the office and dread of each and every dental appointment. At 18, she decided to stay away from the dental office unless absolutely necessary and she needed a break from the “terrible place that only delivered bad news and long lectures about not flossing enough.” Two years later, she chipped a tooth and was “forced” to make an appointment. At this appointment, which she admitted to dreading, she met a new dental hygienist, who introduced herself with a warm smile and was sweet, compassionate and not all as scary as she anticipated. Instead of the negative, the dental hygienist only focused on the positive and educated her on the importance of a healthy smile--by setting realistic goals and innovative ways to meet them. Through the years, she became friends with her dental hygienist by chatting about college, wedding plans and baby names while having a routine hygiene appointment. Her own dental hygienist (her “friend, therapist and good person to talk to”) was her true inspiration into the field of dentistry and the reason she chose to pursue dental hygiene as her career. As soon as she realized that one positive person changed her entire outlook on dentistry, she knew she wanted to “go for it!”

The third recipient of the 2011 Scholarship is Rachel Jennings. She has maintained a GPA of 3.6. She serves as the Student Chapter historian. Rachel received the Scholastic Leadership Award in 2007-2010. Her volunteerism includes Head Start Fluoride Varnish Program in the spring and Fall of 2010 and the TDHA “Sealants Across Texas” at ACC in November 2010. She became interested in dental hygiene as a career in 2006 shortly after she was married and had her first child. Due to her struggles in an unhealthy marriage, she looked for a way to get herself the education she needed to support herself and her two young children. She discovered Capital Idea, a nonprofit organization, who works with low income families. They have been Rachel’s financial support for school tuition and childcare. While she has completely devoted herself to attaining a degree in dental hygiene mainly to gain the financial freedom to support herself and her two young children, in her process, she realized how much she loves working so closely with people, “we don’t just clean teeth—we educate, encourage, listen and work as a team to get back to health.” She’s excited that she has found her calling and hopes to work in public health and give back to her community as “my community has given me in the opportunity of a lifetime, a college education. “ Rachel believes it is also important to belong to a professional organization like ADHA because “we have strength in numbers . By playing an active role, we can stay ahead in our profession and maximize our potential.” She understands the great importance of the ADHA and is “proud to be a part of it.”

ADHA is proud to have you three as a part of it as well!! Congratulations!

Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Fontenot, RDH
ADDHS Scholarship Chair