Member Monday: Tim Davis

Spring is in the air which means it is almost the end of the road for our D4 students. Because of this, we wanted to feature them in our Member Monday spotlight while we still can! Our student this week is Tim Davis, a D4 who served as our vice president last year. Tim has been invovled as an officer of ASDA since his first year of dental school and has worked hard to make our chapter better each year of his involvement.
When asked how Tim first became invovled with ASDA he said “I was looking for a way to get involved in a group at the school, and ASDA seemed to be the most accessible. I applied for a position in my D1 year. I started as a fall social chair for the 2016 calendar year. As fall social chair, I was responsible for Back to School Trivia Night, and then eventually Casino Night for a Cause.”

​In fact, Tim was the founder of the very first Casino Night! Now considered as UAB’s fall formal, Casino Night is an event all students look forward to right before winter break and has been very successful in just the few years it has taken place. Tim says his favorite memory of ASDA was putting this event together. “By far my favorite experience with ASDA has been Casino Night for A Cause,” says Tim. “I created the event in 2016 and have been heavily involved ever since. I kind of consider it to be my baby. I have put so much time and effort into that event over the years. I learned a lot from it and, though I hope to see it continue to grow, I think we have done a great job in making it an established annual event in a very short amount of time. I really hope to see it continue to be successful for years to come after I graduate.”
After his year working as social chair he then stepped it up a notch and became vice president. “I enjoyed being in a leadership position,” says Tim. “It made me feel like I had a say in how things were done. In my first year as an ASDA officer, I learned a lot from those before me. But I also saw opportunities for growth. Being Vice President gave me the ability to actually make changes in our chapter, as well as on a national level.”
Like any other leadership position, being on the executive board of ASDA is extremely time consuming. However, Tim says it is doable if you simply make it a priority. “I definitely kept very busy between ASDA and school responsibilities,” explains Tim. “However, I think I work well under pressure and can prioritize and be more efficient. I think we all have more time in our schedule than we realize, and if you have something you really care about, you can make it happen. It definitely was not always easy, but we all need an outlet and for me, even though It was a school group, it kind of served that purpose.”
The application for ASDA officer positions goes out every year and the next vice president could be you! We asked Tim if he had any advice for those who are currently seeking out leadership positions.  He responded with “I think ASDA is the best student organization at UAB and on the national level, so I think everyone should seek a position in ASDA. The best advice I would give to someone wanting to be a leader is to never lose sight of what’s important. To me, our chapter of ASDA was always my priority. I very much took the “think globally act locally” approach. I think the national aspect is important, but I think as leaders, we are responsible first for our own chapter. Since every student at UAB is a member of ASDA, we have to remember to make sure our efforts are in support of all of the students, and not just solely beneficial.”
We wish Tim luck as he finishes his requirements and encourage anyone thinking about becoming an ASDA officer to fill out an application next year when it’s time to apply!

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