Member Monday - Kai Huang, Class of 2020

​This week we are proud to feature Kai Huang who has recently been appointed as the District 5 Trustee of ASDA. Kai makes history as the first student from UAB to earn this position. “I’m very excited to serve in this position,” Kai says, “but there’s a lot of work coming my way!”

Kai first became interested in ASDA during his time as a pre-dental student at the University of Central Florida. His first experience with ASDA was attending Pre-Dental Weekend at Nova Southeastern University’s dental school.

At the event, Kai was introduced to the national vice president of ASDA who, seeing Kai’s enthusiasm for dentistry, highly recommended that he attend ASDA’s National Leadership conference. “A group of us from UCF was able to get funding to attend NLC and I’m so glad that we did. I was so amazed by the concept of organized dentistry and found it to be a great networking experience.” Kai especially liked learning about things you do not necessarily get to learn in dental school like the business aspect of dentistry.
 
Kai was hooked on ASDA after his experience at NLC. His first position at the national level was as the pre-dental consultant on the council of membership and he has held a district cabinet position every year since then. “I’ve continued to be involved with the district national level along with my local chapter throughout my time in dental school.”

Attending the 2014 National Leadership Conference with fellow pre-dental students from UCF

​When asked about his favorite part of ASDA, Kai’s answer is clear; “Networking. The networking opportunities with ASDA are endless. When you go to a conference, you get to meet hundreds of other people from all over the country and learn about their dental school. It just makes the importance of organized dentistry that much clearer.”
 
Kai’s favorite memory of ASDA goes way back to his very first National Leadership conference. It was an experience Kai will cherish forever. The dental students there were overwhelmingly welcoming and eager to help him achieve his dream of getting into dental school. “I was surrounded by students and leaders that inspired me to be like them and to not give up on my dream. I’ll never forget that feeling.”

Kai representing UAB at the 2018 Annual Session as a Delegate Reviewer

​Many of the students at UAB often wonder how Kai is able to balance schoolwork and being able to travel to all the ASDA conferences. His ability to go across the country for an entire week and still keep up his schoolwork baffles the mind of even the most avid procrastinator. For Kai, it’s all about staying ahead of schedule and keeping on top of things. “School always comes first,” says Kai. “At the end of the day ASDA is an extracurricular activity but it’s my passion so I’ve learned how to make it work.” Kai says it is also incredibly important to stay in contact with the faculty and request days off as far in advance as possible. “The faculty want you to attend events like this so they are often very supportive of me attending them.”
 
If you are interested in becoming more involved with ASDA at the national level like Kai, this is his advice for you: “Surround yourself with likeminded people and seek out mentorship. Don’t be afraid to reach out to district national leaders and express your interest in becoming more involved.” Clearly, ASDA has had an extremely large impact on Kai’s career in dentistry. So next time you get one of those emails asking if you want to attend a conference, consider giving it a try!

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

Alabama ASDA having fun at the 2018 Annual Session in Anaheim, California!