SNDA recognized as 2024 National Small Chapter of the Year

The Student National Dental Association (SNDA) chapter at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry has been recognized as the 2024 National Small Chapter of the Year. Members of the chapter attended the 52^nd Annual SNDA National Convention, where they were presented with the award in front of their peers from other chapters across the country.

The award marks the first time the School of Dentistry has won SNDA National Small Chapter of the Year, and the organization seeks to use the accolade to enhance the mission of the SNDA in Houston.

“Winning Small Chapter of the Year and representing the School of Dentistry just shows how the minority students here are very involved in the community and yield a large impact inside and outside the school,” said Joseph Green, fourth-year dental student and president of the SNDA chapter.

The SNDA promotes, aids, and supports the academic and social environment of minority students. The association strives to establish opportunities for its members to develop stronger alliances amongst one another while developing a sense of community, aiding in the advancement of minority students within the field of dentistry.

Green says that winning the award gives him and the other members affirmation that the work the chapter has put into evolving the group over the past academic year didn’t go unnoticed.

“We truly did just want to be more present on campus. It felt like we needed to participate in more community events,” he said. “So, we hosted events such as alumni networking opportunities, collaboration fundraisers with other local organizations, a homeless shelter dental hygiene donation drive, a visit from therapy dogs during finals, dental education with refugee students, and many more.”

The chapter believes that it was events like these that not only helped them achieve the national recognition, but also grow awareness for outside organizations to potentially sponsor future endeavors. Attending the national convention gave members the opportunity to connect with these individuals in-person and discuss working together.

“Not only did we win the award, but we were also able to network with representatives from notable organizations who could collaborate with us for future events and initiatives,” said Alhagie Jallow, third-year dental student and vice president of the SNDA chapter.

“We were never set on winning chapter of the year,” he said. “If we went to the conference and got close to winning, it wouldn’t have taken anything away from the events we organized in pursuit of revamping the organization this past year. But it did truly mean a lot to win an award for our chapter and for our school.”

The group aims to grow the SNDA chapter membership in the next year, but take the lessons and accomplishments of winning Small Chapter of the Year with them to take the organization to new heights.

“It feels good to see all the hard work we put in pay off. We’re just trying to leave the organization better than how we found it for the next generation of students,” said Jallow.

Students that are interested in joining the School of Dentistry’s SNDA chapter can contact [email protected]. SNDA hosts monthly meetings and has opportunities to network with other members through various Lunch and Learns and socials throughout the upcoming semester.