Crestview students among Northwest Florida State dental grads

Dental Assisting program graduates at Northwest Florida State College stand on campus Aug. 12 at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville Front row, from left: Michelle Butler of Crestview, Jaqueline Kanzaki, Veronica Ferrell of Crestview, Hannah Hinote, Kayla Glenn, Kourtney Pearce, Diana Rodriguez Ocana. Back row from left: Sarah Nick, Bethanie Welch, Debra Yeager, Abigail Gibson, Crestview residents Autumn McGonigle, Jenee Kozer, and Emily Gennaro, Colleen Flores, Samantha Mangum, and Crestview residents Janessa Golden and Lauren Day.

NICEVILLE — On Aug. 12, Northwest Florida State College recognized 18 students who successfully completed the college's vocational certificate program in Dental Assisting during the 2015-16 academic year.

Awards were presented to the following students: Excellence in Peer Support – Colleen Flores; Excellence in Clinical Skills – Veronica Ferrell; and Excellence in Academic Achievement – Abigail Gibson.

The 2016 Dental Assisting graduates are: Michelle Butler, Lauren Day, Veronica Ferrell, Emily Gennaro, Janessa Golden, Jenee Kozer and Autumn McGonigle, all of Crestview; Kayla Glenn and Hannah Hinote of DeFuniak Springs; Samantha Mangum, Destin; Abigail Gibson, Eglin AFB; Colleen Flores and Diana Rodriguez, Bethanie Welch, all of Fort Walton Beach; Sarah Nick, Freeport; Kourtney Pearce, Mary Esther; Debra Yeager, Niceville; and  Jaqueline Kanzaki, Shalimar.

The Dental Assisting program is a competitive-admission, three-semester program that provides students extensive clinical experiences. The program accepts up to 24 applicants each calendar year, with the program starting in August. Graduates can work for a variety of dental offices, including general dentistry, oral surgery, orthodontic, endodontic, pedodontic and periodontic.

For information, call 729-6444 or see the program’s website at www.nwfsc.edu/Academics/Departments/HealthSciences/DentalAssisting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview students among Northwest Florida State dental grads