How has ASDA helped you build your leadership skills?
With UCSF’s ADSA chapter including 29 board members, I have grown immensely in my ability to collaborate with others and maintain consistent organization of everyone’s plans and responsibilities. Additionally, these collaborate efforts have extended past just a chapter level, with me getting various opportunities to work with leaders on a district and national level, allowing me to witness many different types of leadership styles and unique perspectives. The accumulation of all of these experiences has allowed me to grow into a confident leader, modeling successful traits of many ASDA leaders that I have worked with over the past two years.

What do you think is the most vital quality in a leader?
The most vital qualities of a good leader is dependability and passion. Ensuring those you work with that they can undoubtedly count on you to support them and complete your responsibilities efficiently is the hallmark for establishing healthy professional relationships and quality work. Additionally, having passionate leaders allows for sincere excitement to spread to others on your team, thereby instilling in them a feeling of trying to excel in their roles because of genuine interest over just completing objective tasks.

Why should members get involved with ASDA leadership positions?
ASDA has a plethora of different leadership opportunities with various professional avenues tailored to individual passions. Getting involved with ASDA allows access to countless different resources and networking opportunities on a chapter, district, and national level. There is truly a place for everyone in the ASDA sphere to foster their goals, and being part of this passionate community will undoubtedly enhance anyone’s dental school experience.

What future leadership roles in organized denstiry interest you and why?
I would love to stay engaged in advocacy and policy work in some capacity, especially on a local level in city dental societies. It excites me how there is always quality work that need to be done in the legislative field, and I would be eager to have the opportunity to play a bigger role in those efforts to better our career and the experiences of our patients. While serving a role nationally would be fulfilling, I am a huge proponent of local policy efforts and being very present in my local community, and I anticipate prioritizing this approach in my future.