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The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) recently announced the recipients of their 2025 spring scholarship awards, ranging in value from $2,500 to $15,000. The School presented 11 deserving D3 dental students with 13 scholarship awards, with a total value of $117,500. Donors boosted their spring 2025 scholarship support by $45,000 compared to the previous year. This amount represents an increase of 62 percent.

Saulius Drukteinis, DMD, MS, PhD, Dean of SIU SDM, recognized alumni, faculty and friends for making the significant gain in scholarship support possible.

“Our top funding priority in recent years at SIU SDM has been student scholarship support,” said Drukteinis. “Throughout the year, but especially at our annual Scholarship Gala, we are fortunate to be supported by so many alumni, faculty and friends of SIU SDM. And we are so very grateful.”

This year, Alyssa McLaughlin, Ashley Minyard, Amanda Tannehill and Bhavi Vashi were recognized as the newest set of Dean’s Scholars. The Dean’s Scholarship was created to reward academic merit and assist with financial aid at SIU SDM. Each student will receive an award of $15,000 for the 2025-26 academic year.

"Receiving the Dean's Scholarship means so much to me—not only as financial support, but as a powerful recognition of my passion for dentistry and my dedication to making our school a better, more inclusive place,” said Vashi. “I’m deeply grateful to the generous donors whose support makes students like me feel seen, valued, and empowered to keep striving for meaningful impact in both patient care and our community."

“Being awarded the Dean’s Scholarship is a meaningful acknowledgment that I am incredibly grateful for,” said Minyard. “My experience at SIU SDM has been shaped by exceptional faculty members who consistently inspire me to strive for excellence. The support of the donors that have made this scholarship possible has further inspired me to give back to those in our field and continue to use my education to serve others.”

For the second consecutive year, Wayne Hawks, DMD, a dentist from Columbia, Mo., and his wife, Carolyn, contributed to support the Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship Awards. This year’s award recipients were Victoria Clinton, Daniel Konishi, Alyssa McLaughlin and Ashley Minyard.

The Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship Awards recognize students who have demonstrated outstanding work in crown and bridge. Through a merit-based evaluation, the faculty at SIU SDM determined the award recipients based on their coursework to date. Each Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship recipient was awarded $7,500.

“Receiving the Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship and being recognized in crown and bridge and operative dentistry is incredibly rewarding,” said McLaughlin. “I am so thankful to Dr. Hawks and his wife, Carolyn, for their kindness and generosity. This scholarship has motivated me to continue to achieve my dreams and help others just as Dr. Hawks has done for me.”

“I am very grateful to be receiving the Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship Award this year,” said Clinton. “SIU SDM emphasizes the importance of excellent clinical dentistry through rigorous lab classes, and I am honored that my hard work has been recognized by Dr. and Mrs. Hawks. I am thankful for his family’s generosity, and for my faculty and classmates who have helped me to this point in my dental journey.”

Drs. Kathleen and Jerry Durham made a generous contribution this year to make it possible to present four $5,000 scholarship awards this year. The Dr. Kathleen Durham Scholarship Awards were presented to Carly Cameron, Claire Chalkey, Emily Collins, and Brook Shoemaker.

Kathleen Durham, DMD, is an SIU SDM graduate of the Class of 1977. Kathleen and Jerry Durham initially established the Dr. Kathleen Durham Scholarship with a generous planned gift in 2023. Shortly thereafter, they decided to begin presenting annual scholarship awards. The awards this year represent the third and most generous year to date for the Dr. Kathleen Durham Scholarship Awards.

“I am very honored to receive the Dr. Kathleen Durham Scholarship, especially considering the legacy of intelligent and talented women who have received the award before me,” said Collins. “I am beyond grateful for the financial support which will help me to continue to pursue my education and empower me to become the best dentist I can be. Thank you to everyone involved in the decision-making process. I’m excited to continue to pursue my passion.”

"I am incredibly grateful to be receiving the Dr. Kathleen Durham Scholarship,” said Chalkey. “It is an honor and reminder that I am supported by a community that is invested in my journey and success."

Two students – Ben Herring and Aaron Smith – earned the Dr. Larry Lowe Memorial Scholarship Award. Each recipient will be awarded $2,500 for the 2025-26 academic year. Sherry Baker established this annual scholarship award in memory of her late husband, an SIU SDM alumnus, Class of 1977 alumnus.

For the second consecutive year, Baker contributed $50,000 to support the Dr. Larry Lowe Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Baker’s goal is to create an endowment that will support this annual scholarship award in perpetuity.

“I am incredibly grateful to be recognized and awarded this scholarship,” said Smith. “It has been an inspiring experience for my future career in dentistry.”

"I am very honored to receive this award and scholarship,” said Herring. “I am thankful to know I have had an impact on my dental community."

SIU SDM also presented the International Advanced Placement Program (IAPP) Scholarship Award to Aarrthi Santhana Krishnan. The IAPP Scholarship Award recognizes an outstanding student who has excelled throughout the first year of the program and has overcome significant challenges on their personal journey toward earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine. Growing up in Neyveli, a small town in India, Aarrthi's journey has been challenging, but with determination and perseverance, she has overcome every hardship.

"This award is incredibly meaningful to me because it validates the quiet and consistent effort I have put in over the years," said Aarrthi. “It will empower me to give back to the communities that shaped me and ensure that no one faces their struggles alone.” 
 

PHOTO:  Amanda Tannehill, Bhavi Vashi, Alyssa McLaughlin and Ashley Minyard won the Dean's Scholarship Award; Daniel Konishi, Victoria Clinton, Alyssa McLaughlin and Ashley Minyard won the Dr. Hawks Family Scholarship Award; Aarrthi Santhana Krishnan won the International Advanced Placement Program Scholarship Award