11th Annual Cinderfella raises over $16,000

The Texas Association of Women Dentists Chapter at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry raised over $16,000 for the Mina Rosenthal-Eames Fund during the 11th Annual Cinderfella Silent Auction and Pageant.

The event was held April 10 in the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center.

The silent auction ran all day, as more than 70 items were up for bid by faculty, staff, students, residents, and sponsors, and concluded with a live auction for grand items.

In the midst of juggling classes, clinics, exams, and labs, 15 brave male dental students put on a memorable display competing in catwalk, talent, and interview rounds in front of a capacity crowd.

Participants were Michael Chai, DS1; Colin Eggleston, DS4; Pedram Hajykarim, DS1; Devin Herd, DS4; Yousef Hilal, DS1; Truong Huynh, DS1; Austin Iturralde, DS4; Ryaan Kara, DS1; Niran Patel, DS1; Nail Qazi, DS1; Husam Rassam, DS1; Puria Razinobakht, DS2; Arya Rezaei, DS1; Mustafa Sardani, DS1; and Seth Sarquis, DS2.

At the conclusion of the talent round, contestants collected donations from attendees, as the individual money raised counted towards their final scores.

When all numbers were tallied, the DDS Class of 2025 held the top marks. Iturralde received the coveted title of Mr. Gold Crown, winning the best overall score from the judges in addition to his donations. Herd, the previous year’s Gold Crown winner, was named the runner-up.

Awards were also given in each round. Rezaei was named Mr. Swag for pulling off a wardrobe swap with his fairy godmother. Sarquis displayed his lyrical abilities with the rap song, “They Not D2s,” to be tabbed Mr. Talent, and Herd and Iturralde tied for Mr. Congeniality for the best interview response.

Judges for the evening were Juliana Barros, DDS, MS; Stephen Laman, DDS; Shalizeh “Shelly” Patel, DDS, MEd; and Robert Spears, PhD. Fourth-year dental students Josef Heidenhofer and Stanton Pruitt served as emcees.

Special thanks are given to TAWD officers, Kristina Mathai, president; Alexa Montemayor, vice president; Naomi Samuel, secretary; and Rosha Chittuluru, Treasurer; Rithika Ravishankar, media chair; and TAWD’s Cinderfella Committee members and event volunteers. The School of Dentistry’s Office of Student and Academic Affairs provided support in organizing and decorating the event, and the PACE Center facilitated event registration.

The Story Behind Cinderfella

Mina Rosenthal-Eames, a 31-year-old mother of two, was a second-year dental student at the School of Dentistry when she was killed by her estranged husband on the eve of their divorce in 2007. The Mina Rosenthal-Eames Fund was established in 2009 in her memory and helps cover the cost of dental care for domestic violence victims who might otherwise not be able to pay for treatment.

For more information or to donate, contact [email protected]. Contributions may also be mailed to:

Attn: TAWD
UTHealth School of Dentistry
Office of Student and Academic Affairs, Suite 4120
7500 Cambridge St., Houston, TX 77054