Warsaw native, ECU dental student, receives scholarship from the National Dental Association

Greenville, N.C. (December 10, 2019)—Octavia Miller, a first-year student at the ECU School of Dental Medicine has received the Joseph L. Henry First Year Scholarship for $2,000 from the National Dental Association Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive. The scholarship is intended to help defray the cost of dental school.

Originally from Warsaw, North Carolina, Ms. Miller graduated from James Kenan High School and earned a bachelor of science in health care administration from East Carolina University and a master’s degree in biomedical science from Barry University in Miami, Florida.

Octavia Miller

Along with her studies, Ms. Miller is active in several student organizations, including Dental Student Government, in which she serves as president of the Class of 2023. She is also active in the Student National Dental Association, American Student Dental Association, the ECU School of Dental Medicine Human Environment Committee, and the Hispanic Student Dental Association.

Ms. Miller said, “I am thankful for the opportunity to be recognized by the National Dental Association. The scholarship is a great relief to me and my family. I appreciate being able to focus more on school to become the best dental provider I can be. I hope this award inspires others from rural backgrounds to shoot for the stars as well.”

“We are delighted that Ms. Miller accepted ECU’s offer of admission to the DMD program,” said Dr. Margaret Wilson, vice dean of the dental school. “She has already emerged as a leader among her peers, and she will play an essential role in fulfilling the mission of our school in advocating for health equity among the North Carolinians who most need oral health care.”

Ms. Miller’s long-term plans include serving as a general dentist in a rural area of North Carolina. During her fourth year of dental school, she and her classmates will have the unique experience of gaining 27 weeks of hands-on experience treating patients at the school’s eight community service learning centers across the state of North Carolina.