Laker Nation News

Lake Land College associate degree dental hygiene graduates received their pins at the annual pinning ceremony.

Several students received scholarships or awards during the ceremony.

Kara Springman and Andrea Speece were recognized for receiving the Linda Lee Fletcher Scholarship earlier this year. Layne Curley received the Colgate Student Total Achievement Recognition (STAR), Award, which if offered to a graduating student who shows excellence and commitment to the hygiene profession by demonstrating true dedication to the profession, exhibiting extraordinary compassion in patient care, displaying enthusiasm and follow-through for community service, and demonstrating outstanding patient education and motivation skills.

Lacy Maulding received the Golden Scaler Award for demonstrating advanced skills in instrumentation. Jezmyn Thorpe and Rachel Dilts received the Proctor and Gamble Preventive Dentistry Award for demonstrating the best patient education. Springman received the Best Dental Hygienist Award, which was voted on by students in the program.

Speece and  Springman, were also inducted into Sigma Phi Alpha Dental Hygiene Society.

During the ceremony the following students were honored: Brittani Augenstein, Tara Cummings, Layne Curley, Jennifer Delaney, Christina Deleonardis, Rachel Dilts, Raegan Earles, Anna Hage, Laura Koester, Valerie Lau, Lacy Maulding, Morgan McDowell, Maryam Naseri, Beth Niemerg, Megan Reiher, Kailee Sabin, Heather Sotomayor, Andrea Speece, Kara Springman, Fallon Sullivan, Jezmyn Thorpe, Courtney Wallace, Katie  Wendler and Haley Wilson.

Dental Hygiene is a special admission program at Lake Land College. The program prepares students with specialized skills necessary for employment as a dental hygienist. Emphasis is on dental hygiene treatment and on the hygienist’s abilities as a dental health educator. The hygienist’s services are sought by dentists, schools, prisons, hospitals, departments of health and industry. The dental hygiene program is fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

-30-

Lake Land College District 517, located in Mattoon, Illinois, serves the second largest community college district in the state, with a total population of 189,869. The Lake Land College district comprises all or part of 15 counties and 31 public school districts in rural east central Illinois. Counties served by Lake Land College include: Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Macon, Montgomery, Moultrie and Shelby.