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Seventeen students who will graduate on May 23 with their Dental Assisting certificate or Dental Hygiene degrees were honored Friday night during a special pinning ceremony.
Seventeen students who will graduate on May 23 with their Dental Assisting certificate or Dental Hygiene degrees were honored Friday night during a special pinning ceremony.
The pinning ceremony held on May 17 is a time to welcome students into the dental professions while recognizing all the hard work it took to get there, according to Cindy Cadoret, the director of the dental education programs at Mount Wachusett Community College.
MWCC President James Vander Hooven encouraged students and all of their loved ones to be proud of the commitment that it took to get to this point. The support they get from their family, friends, faculty and staff are incredibly important, allowing students to apply themselves and accomplish their goals.
“We are so proud of the efforts you put in both inside and outside of the classroom to get to this point,” said President Vander Hooven. “I’m very grateful you chose Mount Wachusett Community College to pursue your education. I want to wish you the very best in your careers.”
The students honored from the dental programs were:
Dental Assisting:
- Ashley Bacigalupo of Athol
- Gwendolyn Jones of Athol
- Catara Green of Fitchburg
- Nicole Kelly of Shirley
- Elzbieta Solimeno of Bolton
Dental Hygiene:
- Darlene I. Alvarez of New Salem
- Ashley M. Boudreau of Templeton
- Michelle A. Bucchiere of Fitchburg
- Kendra M. Draleau of New Ipswich, NH
- Justina Eshun of Worcester
- Maria L. Gray of Westminster
- Vanessa S. Inthachai of Leominster
- Stephanie A. Jameson of Leominster
- Brianna M. McDougal of Greenville, NH
- Aleta Smith of Templeton
- Renee Tenney of Winchendon
- Macey Traffie of New Ipswich, NH
In addition to the pinning, special awards were presented to students who showed exemplary skill within their discipline.
Brittany Velez received the Ellen Daly Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a first year dental hygiene student who achieves an Academic record of 3.5 or higher who also demonstrates clinical excellence, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and commitment to dental hygiene and patient care.
Kendra Draleau received the Curriculum Award that goes to the student graduating with the highest GPA and demonstrated excellence.
Ashley Boudreau received the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists’ Association Academic Award.
Macey Traffie received the Hu-Friedy Golden Scaler Award that is awarded to the student who demonstrates excellent clinical skills and competence and is always available to go above and beyond in the clinical setting.
Michelle Bucchiere received the Dental Hygiene Department Award that is awarded to a student who has demonstrated overall strong academic achievement, clinical excellence, leadership and is truly a team oriented professional in the dental setting.
Ella Solimeno received the Dental Assisting Department Award in recognition of her overall excellence in academic achievement and clinical skill and demonstrated dedication to professionalism.
Maria Gray received the Colgate Star (Student Total Achievement Recognition) Award.
The Colgate STAR Award recognizes graduating dental hygiene students who show excellence and commitment to the dental hygiene profession by:
- Demonstrating true dedication to the profession
- Exhibiting extraordinary compassion in patient care
- Displaying enthusiasm and follow-through for community service
- Demonstrating outstanding patient education and motivation skills
Renee Tenney received the MDHA Worcester Component/MDHA Dental Hygienists’ Association Scholarship for a graduating senior.
Brittany Velez received the MDHA Worcester Component/MDHA Dental Hygienists’ Association Scholarship for a first year student advancing to year two.