Biology Grad Receives Full Ride Military Scholarship to Dental School

Published: May 13, 2019 | Read Time: 2 minutes

Being accepted to dental school is no easy task, and being awarded a full scholarship is nearly impossible, but with hard work and dedication, Andrew King achieved both when he was accepted into dental school and received a full ride scholarship through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) with the U.S. Army.

Originally from Farmington, Utah, King graduated in May 2019 from Southern Utah University with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. He has plans to enroll in dental school at the University of Louisville this fall.

Four SUU professors and mentors played a role in King’s successful journey and hard work to get into dental school. Dr. Samuel Wells was his research mentor, Dr. Roger Gold helped to excite his passion for the life sciences, Dr. Suzanne Tegland was both a personal mentor and a tutor and Dr. Bill Heyborne was his mentor for conservation biology.

Of Dr. Heyborne, King said, “My future career is not directly related to biology but Dr. Heyborne helped me to understand how I can implement those values into my future career and personal life and continue lifelong learning.”

The highly competitive Army HPSP Scholarship provides a full tuition benefit to graduate health programs, along with a generous monthly stipend. Scholars of this program are commissioned as officers and serve in the Army after graduation.

“Both of my grandfathers are war veterans. My paternal grandfather served in World War II, my maternal grandfather served in the Vietnam War and both my dad and brother are in the National Guard,” King said of his reasons for joining the Army. “Seeing the sacrifices they have made for their country made me want to sacrifice myself for the soldiers in the army and pay it forward.”

The University of Louisville School of Dentistry is located in Louisville, Kentucky and is a four-year program. King will be part of a class of 120 students from all over the country and will graduate as a Doctor of Dental Medicine with a concurrent Master’s degree in Oral Biology. Upon graduation, King will serve his country in the Army Dental Corp. for a minimum of four years.

While at SUU, King rounded out his education with activities that revolved around his love for music. King has been a member of SUU’s Wind Symphony for three years, where he plays the French horn and is also a member of the Orchestra of Southern Utah. He spent his free time volunteering with the Cedar High School band.

King was a part of the Rural Health Scholars program available at Southern Utah University, Dixie State University, Snow College, and Utah State University-Eastern in Price. Through a partnership with the University of Utah School of Medicine, this program assists students in becoming successful applicants to medical, nursing, podiatry, dental, pharmacy, and other health professions programs. For more information about the Utah Center for Rural Health programs, visit their website or contact Casey Lavoie 435-865-8661.

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