Wayne Community College’s 17 graduates of the dental assisting class of 2024 were honored at a pinning ceremony. (WCC photo)
GOLDSBORO — The Dental Assisting class of 2024 from Wayne Community College has graduated from their program. The new graduates were honored at a formal ceremony where their instructors presented them with pins, signifying their entrance into the dental field.
The 17 graduates are Ally Sutter, Clinton; Katelyn Parker, Elm City; Jolie Wood, Four Oaks; Hamida Alsaidi, Caroline Bryan, Jessica Hernandez-Hurtado, Elanie Hinton and Gabriela Perez, Goldsboro; Mykera Manning, Greenville; Kristin Miller, Micro; Jaquelin Carrizo, Middlesex; Hannah Martin, Mount Olive; Rachael Daughtry, Camryn Ryan and Haley Toler, Pikeville; Christyn Gray, Snow Hill; and Bracey Outlaw, Winterville.
Special awards were presented to five graduates during the pinning ceremony with each recipient receiving a plaque.
The Patient Care Award went to Outlaw for exhibiting professionalism, compassion, teamwork, and enthusiasm along with genuine care and concern for her patients. Outlaw’s name will be added to a plaque displayed in the Dental Department for receiving this award.
The Clinical Achievement Award was given to two exceptional students in the program with high grade point averages who received positive feedback from dental site rotations. Hernandez-Hurtado and Hinton both received this award for demonstrating excellent patient care, professionalism, enthusiasm, and self-motivation.
Bryan earned the Academic Achievement Award as the student with the highest grade point average in the Dental Assisting curriculum.
Alsaidi received the Expanded Function Achievement Award for her excellence in the expanded functions that Dental Assisting students are required to complete during the last two semesters of their clinical experience.
The Dental Assisting class of 2024 presented a donation to the Foundation of WCC’s Monika Donnelly fund to be used for Dental Assisting student scholarships. The College’s Dental Department created the fund in memory of Donnelly, a former Dental Assisting instructor at WCC.
Bryan, graduate and president of the Dental Assisting Student Association (DASA), addressed her class with encouragement to pursue excellence in their careers. “Education continues forever, and you never stop learning. This is just the beginning of our journey,” she said. “We have all worked so hard to get to where we are today.”
WCC’s limited-admission Dental Assisting program teaches students to assist dentists in providing treatment services. Students who successfully complete the program earn a diploma and become certified dental assistants upon passing the Dental Assisting National Board Examination.
