Chelsea Kuyath ‘18 receives American Dental Association Scholarship

Published Jul 13, 2016 by
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The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine is pleased to announce that Chelsea Erin Kuyath, DMD Candidate 2018, has been awarded an American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation Predoctoral Dental Student Scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Chelsea Erin Kuyath ‘18

The Foundation awards approximately 25 scholarships of up to $2,500 annually to help academically gifted predoctoral dental students defray a part of their professional education expenses. Students must be nominated by faculty to receive a scholarship.

Chelsea, who is from Kannapolis, North Carolina, serves as secretary of her dental school class and secretary of the school’s Dental Student Government. She also serves as a tutor for other ECU dental students.

As an undergraduate at UNC Charlotte, Chelsea majored in biology and minored in anthropology and was active in the undergraduate mentor program. She was also a manager at Chick-fil-A in Charlotte for six year, where her duties included training and re-certifying employees. Despite a heavy work, Kuyath graduated from UNC Charlotte with honors.

“We were delighted to nominate Chelsea for the ADA Foundation Scholarship and very pleased that she is being awarded,” said Margaret Wilson, vice dean and associate dean for Student Affairs at the School of Dental Medicine. “Chelsea is living out the mission of our school through her dedication to improving oral health care.”

“It is a tremendous honor to receive this scholarship, but even more than the scholarship itself is the honor of being nominated. It means the world to me that our faculty believe in me and thought of me for this award,” said Chelsea.

When Chelsea and her classmates are fourth-year students, they will complete rotations at the school’s dental learning centers in eight rural and underserved communities across the state, a unique opportunity among dental schools. Through these centers, fourth-year students expand their clinical proficiency and directly engage the communities in which they live and serve.