WVU School of Dentistry welcomes Dental Hygiene students to campus
As new and returning students from across the globe arrive at West Virginia University ahead of the fall semester, the School of Dentistry is welcoming 23 new students into its classrooms and clinics as the Dental Hygiene Class of 2029. The incoming class includes students from 5 states and 8 West Virginia counties.
To kick off the school year, new and returning students enrolled in the dental hygiene program gathered off campus at St. Mary’s Pavilion in Star City for their Academic Day session and a welcome picnic. The annual event is held in conjunction with the University’s Welcome Week activities. Serving as an orientation to the program, the school and the university, the session provided students with information about expectations and resources and an opportunity to meet faculty and staff in the Department of Dental Hygiene.
The event included remarks from Professor and Chair Amy Funk, a presentation by Career Development Specialist Robert Barricelli, the installation of Student American Dental Hygienist Association officers led by Faculty Adviser and Professor Ashlee Sowards and a raffle for various prizes. Students also participated in a wellness activity that allowed them to build connections with their peers before the first day of classes.
The WVU program is the only four-year integrated Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene, and the WVU School of Dentistry is West Virginia’s only dental school. Throughout their education, students engage in a variety of experiences including lectures, hands-on simulation lab and innovation center training, and interprofessional sessions. They also spend six semesters providing direct patient care at WVU Dental and in communities across the state through a rural rotation experience.
The School’s mission is to improve oral health by transforming students into excellent, service-oriented clinicians, to provide exceptional patient care, and to discover solutions that reduce oral health disparities in the state. The dental hygiene program helps achieve this mission by providing a high-quality curriculum that trains future hygienists to help meet the needs of the state and the profession, which are experiencing a workforce shortage.
The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Class of 2029 includes:
- Elana Acciavatti of Morgantown, WV
- Abigail Barker of Elkton, MD
- Julia Bobersky of Hurricane, WV
- Corryn Cigich of Harrison City, PA
- Danica Gynn of Allison Park, PA
- Zaina Haffar of Charleston, WV
- Jocelyn Hartman of Romney, WV
- Vanessa Hicks of Romney, WV
- Clayton Howard of Moundsville, WV
- Ashley Joseph of Barboursville, WV
- Alyssa Lambert of Morgantown, WV
- Anna Lemon of Morgantown, WV
- Kali Longwell of Mineral Wells, WV
- Alanna McDuffie of Capon Bridge, WV
- Allison McGraw of Steubenville, OH
- Kalliyan Niner of Dover, PA
- Landry Prichard of Springboro, OH
- Abigail Rivenbark of Whitehouse Station, NJ
- Angelyna Santora of Absecon, NJ
- Maura Sciullo of Gibsonia, PA
- Avery Shahan of Kingwood, WV
- Olivia Suhayda of Lawrence, PA
- Ridge Tippetts of Morgantown, WV
Photo at Top: WVU School of Dentistry Class of 2029 (WVU photo)
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jw/8/20/25
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WVU School of Dentistry | WVU Dental