The DALE Foundation, the official affiliate of the Dental Assisting National Board, has named five recipients of the 2022 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship. These recipients were chosen from more than 90 applicants across the country.
Ashley Blake of Littleton has worked as a dental assistant at a private dental practice in Houlton for more than three years. She plans to use her scholarship award to offset the cost of the DANB General Chairside Assisting exam, in pursuit of earning DANB Certified Dental Assistant certification.
“Having my CDA credential isn’t just a dream anymore, because I am so close to completing it! And my dental assistant career won’t cease there,” Blake shares. “I plan on furthering my studies and eventually earning an expanded functions credential. I’m always challenging myself to learn. I’m passionate about patient oral healthcare and patient safety and satisfaction.”
The DALE Foundation launched the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship in 2014 to honor the late Liz Koch, who served as chief operating officer of DANB and the DALE Foundation before her untimely passing in 2011. This scholarship honors her dedication to encouraging and elevating dental assistants at all stages of their careers. The scholarship is open to all dental assistants, DANB certificants and other oral healthcare professionals, to support the professional development of dental auxiliaries.
Scholarship recipients are selected based on their professional development plans for oral healthcare career development, and mentoring others in ways that promote oral health or the oral healthcare professions. Each recipient receives between $250 and $1,000, as well as access to three products of their choice from the DALE Foundation catalog. Scholarship funds can be used for professional development activities, such as continuing education courses, dental conferences, DANB certification renewal, and college courses.
