Mr. Dante Brown
The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry announced it awarded third-year UIC dental student Dante Brown a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship program was established at UIC in 1985 to recognize outstanding minority UIC students, such as African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans, who have demonstrated high academic achievement in fields in which they are underrepresented and who have shown strong commitment to community and campus service.
Mr. Brown, who noted he was mentored by his own dentist, Dr. Edward Ruiz, a 1987 graduate of the dental school, applied for the scholarship in 2014.
To qualify for the scholarship an undergraduate must have a minimum 4.0 GPA. Graduate and professional students must also show a record of high academic achievement. Brown was awarded the professional level scholarship of $5,000.
When not in class, Mr. Brown provides free dental services at Community Health-West Town, Goldie’s Place and to homeless individuals in the community. In addition to his community service, Mr. Brown serves as treasurer of the UIC chapter of the Student National Dental Association, and is an active member of the UIC chapter of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. He also works to help others in his spare time.
“I tutor on campus and am one of the teachers for the post-baccalaureate Dental Anatomy course,” he noted.
After his graduation in May of 2016, Mr. Brown has well defined goals.
“I plan to practice general dentistry for a few years, complete my Masters’ in Public Health, and then consider residency programs in dental public health,” he said.