The National Leadership Conference this year was held November 16-18 in Chicago, IL. With over 800 students attending the conference this year, this was the largest NLC that ASDA has organized. Some of our ASDA District 1 attendees have shared their experiences with us and what they have learned from the conference:
Mohil Parakhiya, D20; Advocacy Chair at Tufts
“Attending National Leadership Conference: NLC 2018 for the second time as a third-year student was one of the most rewarding experiences. NLC provides students with new perspectives, motivation and inspiration that not only fuels the passion for the field but also academics. Attending the conference has shed a new light on my perspectives and has given me a whole new mindset on how I want to guide my journey through dental school. With seminars on business management, personal development, and academics, NLC molds attendees into a well-rounded students and skills that can be used throughout our careers. It is such an eye-opening experience to see what professionals and students like us are able to do with their knowledge and education and use that to make a difference in the community. The conference is also able to provide such friendly, social environment where students from schools nationally are able to interact and learn from each other’s experiences, which makes this experience that much more valuable. In the end, I can confidently say I walked away from NLC 2018 with a new-found drive, vision and lifelong friends.”
Lindsey Janof, District 1 Trustee, Boston University
“NLC opened my eyes to the mission of ASDA and what it means to be a dental provider. If you would have told me in my first year that I would grow in leadership, professionalism, public speaking, advocacy, and form a platform to make a difference in our profession, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Attending NLC and other ASDA events has not only given me the opportunity to make lifelong friends, but also a family. An #ASDAfam who constantly inspires me, supports my passions, and drives me to be a better version of my self everyday. Three years after attending my first NLC, my second has allowed me reminisce on how far I’ve come, and just how far I can go! The impact of ASDA on my life cannot be measured or expressed in words, and the best part is that it doesn’t have to be. ASDA is carried in my every day actions, my commitment to my patients, in communicating and leading a team, and the momentum to overcome the obstacles ahead of me. NLC is more than just a conference, its an investment in your future, its an investment in your patients, and its an investment in the advancement of our profession. So take that leap of faith, do something you’ve always wanted to do but were to scared to try, because you have your own #ASDAfam of 24,000 members cheering you along the way.”
Krupali Patel, D20. 1st Year Diversity Liaison at Boston University
“ASDA’s NLC 2018 has been an enriching and inspiring exposure and the #ASDAfever only amplifies with each passing day! It was an event that set a high-energy atmosphere and marvelous platform for creative minds to connect, network and enlighten the profession and practice as a whole. An exhilarating opportunity to learn something valuable from another person’s body of work, success as well as failure stories. With numerous tracks to the educational sessions offered, it was a great learning curve to developing entrepreneurial skills, overall mind and body wellness, effective advocacy, evolving into a strong and effective chapter and most importantly meeting such talented people from all across the nation!! All in all, an emotionally charging, thrilling and transformative season. I am extremely thankful to BU ASDA and proud to represent Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine at NLC 2018, Chicago!”
Airy Choi, D20. 2nd Delegate at Tufts
ASDA’s National Leadership Conference is truly an inspiring weekend jam-packed with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking with dental students from all across the nation. As a second time attendee to this annual conference in Chicago, it has put into retrospect on how much I have grown as a leader since day one of dental school. It has reminded me on why I have chose dentistry as my career and taught me skills that cannot be learned in a classroom or a clinical setting. Other than practice management skills and personal leadership development, what I found most beneficial from this conference is the amazing ideas and events that I have gotten from the other ASDA chapters that we can implement at our school in order to keep students engaged. We are very privileged to be auto-enrolled ASDA members at are school, and I want everyone to take full advantage this opportunity here at Tufts. As always, I am very grateful to represent our school at these conferences, and I am so glad that this has empowered everyone on this trip to be involved within our ASDA chapter even more.
Bibiana Munoz, Boston University
As a foreign graduated dentist who recently joined the Advanced Standing Program at Boston University, going to NLC 2018 was the perfect platform for me to better understand ASDA and the important role it plays advocating for all dental students around the country. NLC was the perfect scenario to get to know people from different dental schools and also a diverse range of dental companies. I had the chance to exchange with them ideas and personal experiences about all kinds of subjects. NLC was the perfect vehicle to learn from leaders in our profession on how dentistry works outside of dental school and how to improve personally and professionally. NLC allowed me to connect not only with leaders in dentistry that are leaving their marks in our profession but also with the more basic and important foundation of ASDA, the dental students. NLC was a rewarding experience that enabled me to grow as a person and as a future dentist in America. #NLCfever #ASDAfever
Tyler Brown, D21 at Tufts
It was truly a humbling experience to be able to represent Tufts University at ASDA’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago. This conference was an amazing opportunity to fuel my passion for both dentistry and leadership. Through interactive workshops and lecture series, I was able to develop competence pertaining to public speaking, self-discipline, and perseverance. It also afforded me the opportunity to meet and interact with dental students and clinicians from all across the nation. These amazing individuals provided me with unique perspectives on their educational experiences and professional approaches to the field of dentistry. I would like to thank Tufts ASDA once again for this invaluable experience!
ASDA: District 1 