OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation
In its efforts to promote and honor academic and professional achievement, Omega Omega Chapter has established the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit public foundation. The OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation has been formally recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions to our foundation are tax deductible on individual tax returns to the extent that contributions are gifts, with no consideration received. (Click here for more information.)
The OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation awards an annual $10,000 scholarship to a raising third year dental student at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine based upon academic excellence, exemplary traits of character and the potential promise for future professional growth and attainment. (Criteria for selection)
The following students have been recipients of the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation scholarship :
| Scott D. Galkin (1998) | Robert G. McKee (2011) |
| Suzanne B. Reinhardt (1999) | Leonid Epshteyn (2012) |
| Agnieszka D. Bara (2000) | Mena Morgan (2013) |
| Kenneth Banasiak (2001) | Samantha R. Bogle (2014) |
| Sonia Giordano (2002) | Eun Young Lee (2015) |
| Hua Zhu (2003) | Brittany S. Ang (2016) |
| Diane Zaccardi Baldwin (2004) | Celalettin Sevindik (2017) |
| Ewa Zoltek (2005) | Kimberly Choi (2018) |
| Jeffrey Lane (2006) | Nicole C. Cullen (2019) |
| Kevin Lehnes (2007) | Bushra A. Ali (2020) |
| Marinet Ibrahim (2008) | Marko Djapic (2021) |
| Niyati A. Patel (2009) | Irene Kontogiannis (2022) |
| Peanut W. Wong (2010) | George Soliman (2023) |
Certificate of Academic Excellence
Omega Omega Chapter has established awards to recognize academic excellence by first and second year dental students at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. The “Certificate of Academic Excellence” is given to a first and second year dental student who have attained the highest cumulative grade point average in their respective class.* These students also receive a $1,000 scholarship (Mechanism for tie-breaking). This year’s recipients are:
Matthew Cabana (’26)
Matthew Amador (’25)
Dr. Anthony R. Volpe Excellence in Research Excellence In Research Award
In addition, Omega Omega Chapter has established an award which is given to a pre-doctoral dental student at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine who demonstrates outstanding research activity in the dental or biomedical sciences fields.** (Criteria for selection)This year’s recipient is:
Alekhya Thota (’25)
Externship
Dean Cecile Feldman has stated that the number one priority of the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is to ensure that each and everyone of our students receives an outstanding education through exciting research programs, valuable community service and significant patient care experiences.
Recognizing an opportunity to further this priority and keeping with our mission to support academic and professional achievement, the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation sponsored a clinical externship experience in conjunction with the Indian Health Service (IHS) for six rising senior dental students during the summer of 2005. By providing these students with an expense paid trip to the IHS clinic in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation sought not only to expand the clinical education of these students but to enhance their social awareness and appreciation for their spirit of volunteerism in treating an underserved population of Native Americans. Click here for highlights of the “Badlands 6”.
Due to many generous contributions the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation was able to expand the “Badlands 6” externship for the summer of 2006 by not only sending 6 students back to the Badlands of South Dakata but 7 students traveled to the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility in Belcourt, North Dakota where they treated members of the Chippewa Tribal Nation. Click here for the final saga of the “Badlands 6”.
*(The GPA reported by the Registrar is carried to the thousandths decimal place.) In the event of a tie, each student tied in his/her respective class will receive a certificate and share the $1,000 scholarship award. Only one (1) $1,000 scholarship will be awarded per class.
**In the event that the research was performed by more than one undergraduate student, each student will receive a certificate and share the $1,000 scholarship award. Only one (1) $1,000 scholarship will be awarded per academic year.