2025 School of Dentistry Senior Awards Ceremony
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the School of Dentistry held its annual Senior Awards Ceremony for Doctor of Dental Surgery graduates.
The emcee of the ceremony, , associate dean for academic, faculty and student affairs, welcomed the families and friends who filled the event room at the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham located in the Medical Center.
103 awards were presented to the senior dental students, recognizing their incredible achievements throughout their four years in the School of Dentistry.
14 dental students were recognized for graduating with a Distinction in Dental Education, having completed coursework in the Teaching Honors curriculum. Four dental students were likewise acknowledged for having completed a rigorous elective program in research, enabling them to graduate with a Distinction in Research. Honored as a Veteran of The United States Armed Forces or active-duty military personnel, one student was also recognized.
High and Higher Honors distinctions were presented to graduates whose upper-division grade point averages were between 3.50 through 3.69 and 3.70 through 3.89, respectively. 12 graduates achieved these separate distinctions. Three graduates were presented with the Highest Honors, a distinction given to students whose upper division grade point average is 3.9 or higher.
Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society, inducted the highest academically ranked students among the class into its San Antonio chapter. Among the 15 new inductees was Tyler Childs, DDS, named the Class of 2025 valedictorian.
Two seniors from each of the four teams were presented with the Senior Clinic Award for Excellence in Clinical Dentistry for their outstanding clinical skills, patient management and leadership.
Team A: Sydney Chung, DDS, and Samuel Sikon, DDS
Team B: Madison Wood, DDS, and Hailey Falies, DDS
Team C: Tyler Childs, DDS, and Tyler Stevens, DDS
Team D: Armin Mehdizadeh-Shrifi, DDS, and Harvey Nguyen, DDS
Congratulations to the entire class for your incredible accomplishments! The School of Dentistry leadership, faculty and staff send their best wishes to all °®ÎÛ´«Ã½'s 2025 graduates.