Stephanie Aya is a fourth year dental student at the NYU College of Dentistry. She was born in Miami, Fl and is of Colombian ethnicity. After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in BIology and a minor in Anthropologie and Latin American studies she decided to pursue dentistry. As a dental student at NYU she has been an active member of the HIspanic Student Dental Association as their Vice President. She is passionate about her roots and about diversifying her community by engaging others in the Latino culture through her own lens and her experience as a Latina in the US and in the field of dentistry. This past October 19? she recently received first place in the Colgate-Palmolive Nuestros Niños Competition from the Hispanic Dental Association. The winning case study, Mesiodens: A Clinical Comprehensive Evaluation of Pediatric Patients in a School-based Dental Program, was based on the dental treatment provided at PS 188 as part of the Bringing Smiles Dental Education Program which creates access to care for the pediatric patient population. She has also been part of the class of 2020 student council for two years as their historian. On her free time Stephanie loves to work on her artistic endeavors such as drawing, painting and playing music. She also enjoys traveling and visiting museums. She loves serving the community especially by mentoring the youth. Her passion lies in the field of pediatric dentistry. This coming July 20? Stephanie will begin her Pediatric Dentistry residency at the Bronx Care hospital.