Guanghui Ling AS 16 and Lana Le DMD 17 with dental-related activities
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) students volunteered at the annual Tet in Boston, a Vietnamese New Year festival organized by the Vietnamese-American Community of Massachusetts and New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association. Held at the colorfully decorated Carson Place (inside the Boston Teachers Union Hall) in Dorchester, the event drew thousands of people of all ages who enjoyed family-friendly activities, delicious food and a concert.
For more than a decade, GSDM’s Asian Dental Student Organization (ADSO), in partnership with the Tufts School of Dental Medicine Asian Dental Organization, has participated in Tet in Boston. At the dental table, volunteers promoted oral health with kid-friendly activities such as the “Celebrity Smiles” game, creating a tooth necklace, and counting a puppet’s teeth. Using visuals, they also provided instruction on how to brush and floss teeth, and provided other dental care information. In addition, toothbrushes and toothpaste were handed out.
“ADSO had a great turnout of volunteers even with the snowstorm. It was a great opportunity for our members to give back to the local Asian American community in Boston,“ said Co-President of ADSO Alex Nguyen DMD 17.
This year, ADSO ramped up their commitment to Tet in Boston by helping to decorate and set up on Friday night, and assist in preparations for a concert on Saturday night. The concert featured New Brothers band that played covers of pop songs and backed up local college vocalists, who performed in both Vietnamese and English.
“It was great to see such dedication from the ADSO leadership and members, especially on a cold and snowy Valentine’s Day weekend,” said Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri.
“Tet” is short for “Tet Nguyen Dan” which means “the first morning of the first day.” It marked the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar and the beginning of spring— ironically during blizzard conditions. Yet despite the frigid temperatures, spirits were high and festival attendees welcomed in 2015, the year of the goat.
“The BU Asian Dental Student Organization is honored to be part of the festival and is looking forward to helping out again for years to come,” said ADSO Co-President Mike Lee DMD 16.
“Thank you to ADSO for contributing to another successful Tet in Boston event,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter.
Volunteers included: Nidhi Arora AS 15, Rizwan Baig AS 16, Kevin Campbell (Tufts), Margi Chan DMD 16, Shelby Curtis DMD 16, Sai Ramani Krishna Kumar AS 15, Guanghui Ling AS 16, Mike Lee DMD 16, Lana Le DMD 17, Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri, Annie Le (Tufts), Shah Lopa AS 16, Alex Nguyen DMD 17, Jeremy Nguyen DMD 18, Louen Pereira GMS 15, Wellington Tejeda (Pre-Dental), Ian Teng DMD 16, Vanessa Thai DMD 16, Do Tien DMD 18, Angela Wu AS 16, Lee Wu DMD 17, Wanpeng Xu AS 15, and Amanda Yip DMD 16.