Congratulations to Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) Class of 2024 graduates! We are so proud of all you have accomplished.
On Sunday, May 12, 2024, Dean Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch conferred diplomas to 172 graduates of the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, and post-graduate specialty programs at the dental school recognition ceremony.
In her remarks, Dean Murdoch-Kinch reflected on the unique experience of our DDS students, in particular, who began dental school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Because of the pandemic, the DDS Class of 2024 is the first class in the history of dental education that spent most of its first year of dental school learning at home,” Dean Murdoch-Kinch said. “And yet, here you are. You persevered. Your faculty went above and beyond to reformat your curriculum to ensure you were successful. Despite the first year at home, you bonded to each other and made lifetime friends. And you made it to today!”
In addition to Dean Murdoch-Kinch, honored speakers included DDS Class of 2024 President Dr. Cordin Mirise, Dental Hygiene Director Twyla Rader, Indiana Dental Assistants Association President-Elect Marie Smiegal, Indiana Dental Association President-Elect Dr. Lisa Conard, and IUSD Alumni Association President Dr. Debra Mannia.
Dr. Chad Leighty (DDS’93), 7th District Trustee of the American Dental Association and past president of the Indiana Dental Association, delivered the keynote address. “Life, much like dentistry, is filled with many opportunities and challenges,” Dr. Leighty said. “As you reflect on your journey through your dental education, you have undoubtedly encountered hurdles and moments of triumph that have defined your experience. I want to take a moment to recognize the remarkable resilience you've demonstrated throughout your journey to this point. That resilience will serve you well as you embark on your professional journey today.”
Dr. Leighty concluded his remarks with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us,” he said. “Class of 2024, as you embark on this new chapter, may you tap into the boundless reservoir of strength and resilience that resides within you,” Dr. Leighty said.
More than 600 photos from the event are available for viewing in the IUSD Graduation 2024 Facebook Gallery.
IUSD 2024 Graduates:
Dental Assisting
Adalye Fisher
Errallyn Henry
Ella Klevickas
Kayla McFarland
Olivia McRae
Kirsten Robinette
Ashlynn Smith
Cy Stockdale
Lizeth Valdivia Gatica
Kimberly Varela-Terrazas
Dental Hygiene (December 2023)
Shelby Bargo
Melinda Eckstein
Denise Garcia
Sydney Gash
Makenzie Gillam
Tonya Haimes
Valerie Hilt
Jared Hirtzel
Ashleigh Krieg
Ashley Lay
Madison McGriff
Sara Melchi
Jordyn Nickels**
Noelle Reagin
Heather Strong
Taylor Vance**
Melanie Wheeler
Alexis Zrebiec
Doctor of Dental Surgery
Ejaz Ahmad Δ
Sara Alhaffar* Δ
Tarek Amro
Kevin Arafat
Adriana Artalejo
Janel Aslan
Srirama Chandra Murthy Bandari Δ
Matthew Beaverson Δ
Kevin Bedford
Ashley Blankenbaker** Δ
Anthony Boesl
Todd Boothe Δ ✓
Isabel Bravo
Abagael Bridwell Δ
Margaret Broderick
Michael Brown Δ
Mikayla Bundy Δ
Jordyn Caffray
Jageer Chhina Δ
Aparna Chintapalli Δ
Miranda Cornejo Δ
Ben Dawson
Sarah De La Cruz** Δ
Nicolle Denyer
Deepthi Devireddy Δ
Andrew Doan Δ
Nichole Downing
Alexa Dresner Δ
Emaan Fahsal
Patricia Flores Δ
Zeel Gajera Δ
Brittany Gehlhausen*Δ
Mohamed Baqer Ghandour Δ
Sabrina Ghazi
Harpreet Gill
Anastasia Golodaeva Δ
Holly Granfield Δ
Arshdeep Grewal Δ
Julia Gruver Δ
Hadi Hachem Δ
Sean Haddow Δ
Geoffrey Halversen Δ
Mariam Hanna
Faraz Hashmi
Emily Hasik Δ ✓
Alexa Haulk Δ
Jose Herrera** Δ
Jonathan Hollar* Δ
Kendra Holliger
Cody Holmgren Δ
Aya Ihmoud
Sydney Intagliata
Bita Jamshidi
Onkarpreet Jawanda Δ
Parham Karimi Δ
Andrew Kaskie
Mandeep Kaur Dhami
Junyoung Kim Δ
Danielle Kluttz Δ
Balaji Kolasani Δ
Kylie Langdon* Δ
Alex Liang Δ
Allexis Lisman
Steven Mah Δ
Amitoj Mavi
Brenda Mayorga de la Cruz Δ
Tatianna McKissick Δ
Armelle Metangmo Δ
Gabriella Meyering * Δ ✓
Cordin Mirise Δ
Bradley Moon Δ
Jenelle Muñoz Δ
Matthew Murphy
Sandy Nguyen
Anghitha Nimil Δ
Lance Noerenberg
Elizabeth Nolan Δ
Navia Novosel Δ
Ella O’Connell Δ
Hetal Patel Δ
Harvi Patel Δ
Poojaben Patel* Δ
Chase Perkins Δ
Aren Peterson ✓
Hien Phan
Andrew Plichta
Madeline Poteet
Michelle Quan Δ
Jacob Rexing Δ
Cameron Rigley Δ
Marly Rizkalla Δ
Devon Roese Δ
Andrew Ross
Carrie Runyon
Alyssa Sanborn
Marissa Scheid Δ
Ria Shah Δ
Mariam Silman Δ
Shalini Subramanyam
Dushala Surujnarain
Alexander Todd Δ
Ashley Trotter** Δ
Brandon Truong
Claire Weesner Δ
Alec Weiss Δ
Alyssa Whalen** Δ
Kapiolani Wisler Δ ✓
Tony Wren
Nidhi Yadav Δ
Ariel Zalesin Δ
Bianca Zero Δ
Postgraduate Degrees
Eman Al Kaba
Ibrahim Alfawaz
Dhafer Alqahtani
Ayman Altamimi
Emma Anderson
Asma Azabi
Renad Bakhaider
Adam Beswick
Alexandra Bojrab
Nicholas Carlson
Kathleen Chiodo✓
Shamus Cooper
Brett Freeman
Michelle Grayson
Loai Hazzazi
Andrea Kristine Hernandez
Rachel Hoagburg
Lucy Knippenberg✓
Megann Lear
Hsin-Chiang Lee
Claire Liles
Steven Magura
Janine Magura
Maya McFrazier
Elizabeth Mechas
Ryosuke Murai
Michael Myers
Dylan Nesty
Samuel Patterson
Evan Roberts✓
Erik Rose
Muneeb Shaikh
Tisama Siyootagrai
*Distinction
**High Distinction
Δ Teaching Assistant or Study Coach
✓ Military Service