OKU’s Mu Mu Chapter welcomes 2025 inductees

Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society’s Mu Mu Chapter at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry welcomed its Class of 2025 inductees in mid-April. The 14-member class featured 12 students from the Dental Class of 2025 and two faculty members.

The ceremony was held April 15 in the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center.

New alumni members of the DDS Class of 2025 included Cody Atack, Jack Cherry, Kara Gibbon, Haylee Hardy, Nour Hilal, Aemin Kim, Nicholas Magana, Keaton Moore, Stanton Pruitt, Ramzi Smith, Duy Vu, and Cara Zou. OKU confers alumni membership to senior dental students who, in addition to scholarship, have exemplary traits of character and ethics.

Associate Professor Leticia Guajardo-Morales, DDS, of the Department of Endodontics; and Hae “Ellie” Doh, DDS, of the Department of General Practice and Dental Public Health, were extended faculty membership, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the art, science, or literature of dentistry.

Eleven first-year dental students were honored for being in the top 10% of the DDS Class of 2028, including Logan Browning, Emilee Davis, Fatemeh Ebrahimi, Kobe George, Yousef Hilal, Truong Huynh, Ellie Ji, Matthew Khuu, Kamile Kukleryte, Phillip Merry, and Karen Yao. Yousef is Nour Hilal’s younger brother.

Alumna Georganne McCandless, DDS ’97, served as the banquet’s keynote speaker and was recognized as an honorary member of OKU.

Third-year dental student Emily Ray was named the Mu Mu Chapter’s 2025 recipient of the Dr. William S. Kramer Award for Excellence, which is given annually to a DS3 who embodies the ideals of scholarship, character, ethics, and potential promise for the advancement of the profession of dentistry and service to humanity.

Nour Hilal and Pruitt jointly delivered the alumni response, congratulating and highlighting the individual character traits of their fellow honorees. They also provided advice to the invited first-year dental students.

On delivering the speech together, Nour Hilal shared that it was at the recommendation of their classmates, “because as we’ve reflected on these past four years, our friendship and support have allowed us to achieve our goals together more than just our efforts alone.”

Pruitt also thanked the faculty for cultivating a deep appreciation for lifelong learning. “These faculty haven’t just shared pearls of knowledge about dentistry, but also life and how to react to things that happen to you with ethics and enthusiasm,” he said.

Associate Professor Marilia Sly, DDS, MSD, 2024-25 president of the Mu Mu Chapter, closed the banquet, congratulating all Class of 2025 inductees.

“Your induction into OKU National Dental Honor Society is a testament to your hard work, ethical character, and unwavering commitment to excellence. As you continue your journey in the field of dentistry, may you always uphold the values of professionalism, integrity, and compassion. Remember, your achievements today are not just the culmination but the beginning of a career dedicated to serving others and making a positive impact on the world. May your future be filled with success and fulfillment.”

OKU was founded by the Northwestern University Dental School faculty in 1914; the Mu Mu Chapter at the UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry was organized in 1940.

OKU is a national dental honor society that recognizes dental students, faculty, and others who distinguish themselves by a high level of scholarship. In addition to outstanding academic achievement, criteria for election to membership include exemplary traits of character and ethics, as well as potential for future professional growth and attainments. The admission standards are meant to encourage and develop a spirit of excellence among students in dentistry.