Senior dental student honored with the Dorothy R. and Vick F. Williams Endowment scholarship

At the end of August, the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to support sixty-eight dental and dental hygiene students with their tuition and other education-related expenses. Funding for scholarships comes to the school courtesy of gracious donors and professional associations invested in supporting students who are in pursuit of their Doctor of Dental Science degree or their Bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene degree. Vick F. Williams, MD, PhD, professor emeritus in the Long School of Medicine's department of cell systems and anatomy, and his wife Mrs. Dorothy R. Williams are two such benefactors. Dr. Williams served the School of Dentistry as a professor of anatomy for 42 years, starting with the very first dental class in 1970. The anatomy course remained his primary teaching responsibility throughout his tenure, allowing him to collaborate closely with dental faculty and students whom he says he has always highly regarded. "Working alongside them, I came to understand the significant expense dental students have that medical students don't incur," Dr. Williams reveals. "That's not to say medical students don't incur debt, but dental students have this equipment they have to buy, and it's difficult even for students with means. Our main concern, and what led us to set up the endowment, is students who don't have the means." Dr. and Mrs. Williams established the Dorothy R. and Vick F. Williams Endowment for Dental Scholarships in the fall of 2018 to support dental students with financial need, an interest in primary care or dental public health, and show an active interest in the community. This year, the Scholarship and Loans Committee felt that fourth-year dental student Nivia Grajeda demonstrated those exact qualities and awarded her the 2020 Dorothy R. and Vick F. Williams Endowment scholarship. Nivia was born in El Paso, Texas, but raised in Juarez, Mexico. Upon returning to the United States, Nivia attended the New Mexico State University – Las Cruces and "fell in love with dentistry" while volunteering at the New Mexico Mission of Mercy. "I was assisting a dentist who was restoring #8 and #9," she says. "After the dentist finished the treatment, I handed the patient a mirror, and with tears streaming down her face, she stated, 'I can finally get a job and provide a better future for my kids.' I made a pact with myself that if I were blessed with the opportunity to get into dental school, I would make it a mission of mine to serve these communities as a practicing dentist." Now a senior, Nivia continues to work hard to fulfill the pact she made with herself and feels extremely honored to have been selected as a scholarship recipient this year and, in time, plans to pay it forward. "From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Williams for their generosity. The money that they so graciously aided me with will go towards paying for my residency application," she shares. "Having the blessing of receiving this financial support will help me in the future, and I will return the blessing to other aspiring dentists by aiding them financially." Dr. and Mrs. Williams said that they continue to be impressed with the quality of faculty and students at the School of Dentistry and remain committed to the students and their education. In fact, Dr. and Mrs. Williams have aspirations to elevate their endowment to ultimately award four dental students with scholarships yearly. Each student will have the opportunity to reapply for the scholarship annually, provided they continue to meet the criteria. Congratulations to all the 2020 scholarship recipients and a resounding thank you to all of their donors.