About USNDA
Our Mission
Welcome, all! The Undergraduate Student National Dental Association, USNDA, was founded in 2014 by two former University of Maryland students, Jada Harrison and Andrew Wildeman, on August 4th. The purpose of this organization is to increase the number of minorities entering dental school, increase the knowledge of dentistry as a profession among undergraduate students, and inform pre-dental students about the resources available that are designed to help improve DAT scores. On top of this, USNDA also provides its members the opportunity to take trips to dental schools where they are given the chance to meet and talk with dental students, years D1-D4, as well as admissions recruiters. USNDA also makes the effort to inform students of summer programs and dental research experiences available to them.
Meet Our Founders:
Founder
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Major: Behavioral and Community Health
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Year: Class of 2015
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Why Dentistry?
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Dentistry interests me because it’s hands on. I love that dentistry can increase the quality of a persons life in such a tangible way. Most importantly, I feel that dentistry is an opportunity for me to affect positive change my community.
I founded USNDA for the same reason. I feel that undeserved communities can be aided immeasurably by the empowerment of students of color, so I wanted to make that a reality at UMD. My co-founder, Andrew Wildeman and I sought to create an organization that functioned specifically as a resource for students who may not otherwise have access to benefits like a strong professional network or shadowing opportunities.
Jada Harrison
Co-Founder
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Major: B.S. Kinesiology
Year: Class of 2016
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Why Dentistry?
Aside from the fact that dentistry harmoniously combines aspects of science, medicine, art, engineering, etc, it also provides the opportunity to tailor your career to interests outside of primary care in the office setting. Many of the dentist I aspire to emulate are also educators, politicians, or entrepreneurs. These are just a few of the things I wish to embody as a dentist.
Andrew Wildeman
