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MINORITY STUDENTS FORM ASSOCIATION A new student organization has given voice to the School of Dentistry's African-American and Latino students. The Minority Student Dental Association (MSDA)—founded by first-year doctoral dental students Chris Martinez and Lenice Yarber—works to integrate and support minority students at the School of Dentistry and to encourage undergraduate minority students to consider a career in dentistry.
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"Lenice Yarber and Chris Martinez, both of the Class of 2006, created the Minority Student Dental Association to give voice to underrepresented students at the USC School of Dentistry." |
"We felt that there was no group here that represented us. Other ethnic groups had their own organizations that represent their culture and ideologies," says Yarber, a graduate of the dental hygiene program and second-year doctoral dental student. Martinez and Yarber, MSDA president and vice-president respectively, pooled their resources out of necessity. "African Americans and Latinos were so few in number, we decided to come together," says Yarber. "Of course, we have cultural differences, but we also share many of the same problems and experiences."
Although the group was created with minorities in mind, both Yarber and Martinez emphasize that the MSDA is open to all. "Anybody can come. The majority of our members are underrepresented students here at the School of Dentistry, but we welcome and encourage everyone to attend," says Martinez.
A major focus for the new organization is to increase the enrollment of traditionally underrepresented minorities at the School of Dentistry. The MSDA is currently involved in several programs.
At Pasadena City College, MSDA members made presentations to Upward Bound—a pre-college, federally funded program designed to develop the tools and skills of low-income high school students interested in higher education.
The MSDA also collaborates with the USCSD office of admissions and student affairs to recruit minority applicants to the School of Dentistry and to promote the profession in traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities.
Martinez, a Los Angeles native, knows exposure to dentistry at an early age can profoundly affect a young, impressionable mind.
"I have wanted to be a dentist since sixth grade when I visited the orthodontist. It seemed very interesting to me," says Martinez.
The MSDA is officially recognized by the university and is a student member group of both the National Dental Association and the Hispanic Dental Association.
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