The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting -- the nation’s leading dental meeting and comprehensive source of continuing education in dentistry – has announced the winners of its 2018 #MyHinman Campaign, awarding three deserving students scholarships.
The winners are:
· 1st Place $1,500: Augusta Technical College Department of Dental Assisting – Alexis Gentry
· 2nd Place $1,000: Clayton State University Department of Dental Hygiene – Teresa Tran
· 3rd Place $500: Georgia Perimeter College Department of Dental Hygiene – Hannah Lee
Kicking off in Fall 2017 and leading up to Hinman 2018, held recently in Atlanta, the campaign asked participants to post the official hashtag, #MyHinman, on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to help raise money for scholarships and be entered into a monthly drawing for $100 cash. Hinman and its official housing company, EventSphere, donated to the scholarship bank each time a post was shared on social media with the #MyHinman hashtag. Individuals were encouraged to vote for which schools should receive the “My Hinman” scholarships and the top three schools receiving the most votes were named 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The schools then named a deserving recipient.
“For nearly two decades, the Hinman Dental Meeting has contributed millions of dollars to students and dental education programs throughout the country. The #MyHinman campaign was another fun way to raise money for students while celebrating the reasons we all love the Meeting and the Hinman experience,” said Dr. Patrick Yancey III, General Chairman for Hinman 2018.
Posts ranged from sharing the #MyHinman YouTube video to posting a photo from the last time someone attended Hinman, to inviting friends to join them at Hinman’s Night Out at the Georgia Aquarium.
“I was excited that my school was selected (for 1st place) and then for my instructor to choose me. I felt all my hard work paid off,” said Alexis Gentry, a dental assisting student at Augusta Technical College. “The money will help toward my last semester this summer and I plan to use it for my DANB certification. I also am splitting it with my classmate who helped me lead the #MyHinman initiative on our campus for school votes.”
Dental student attendance at Hinman’s recent annual meeting was significant with a total of 768 students from schools across the country. In addition, 190 pre-dental students, 445 hygiene students and 732 assisting students attended Hinman this year to take advantage of various programs. Many took part in the G.O.L.D. Program, Dental Student Happy Hour and Scholars’ Luncheon. At the Scholars’ Luncheon held during the Meeting, Hinman awarded 90 scholarships at 47 premiere dental programs. Over the past 17 years, the Hinman Dental Society has contributed nearly $9 million, with $500,000 this year alone, in scholarships and large gifts in support of dental education.
The Hinman Tradition
The Hinman Dental Meeting is designed with a commitment to quality and professionalism and a high regard for the value of continuing education. The Meeting is sponsored by the Hinman Dental Society, a non-profit organization, and all excess revenue is invested and gifted in the form of individual scholarships to dental, hygiene, assisting and lab tech students and contributions to institutions that foster dental education. For additional information about the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting, visit www.hinman.org or contact Ms. Sylvia Ratchford, Executive Director, at (404) 231-1663.
