UM Today | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
October 10, 2025 —
Members of the Dental Hygiene Class of 2025 sold so many cupcakes and cookies at bake sales to raise money for their graduation celebration that they wound up with extra funds.
When the group realized it had a surplus of $3,400 from all the different fundraising activities, the graduating students decided to donate the money to the School of Dental Hygiene’s patient support funds.
“I think the reason we felt so compelled to donate was because of our excellent experience in the program. I think our instructors and supervisors really instilled in us the importance of giving back and being able to advocate for our patients,” said Lexy Müller Morán, president of the Dental Hygiene Class of 2025.
Dental Hygiene Class of 2025
The donation will go towards two patient support fund initiatives, which help those who don’t have access to public or private dental insurance and aren’t able to pay out of pocket.
Smiles for Miles helps newcomers and refugees. And DH4U enables dental hygiene students to advocate for their patients and make the case to help cover the cost of their care.
Müller Morán recalled a time when one of her classmates had a patient who feared seeing the dentist, and because of it, their oral hygiene suffered.
“My classmate’s patient was so dedicated to wanting to improve their oral hygiene she felt the need to advocate for this patient. Ultimately, the patient was able to come to the clinic and afford the treatment because of the DH4U fund,” Müller Morán said.
Mary Bertone, director of the School of Dental Hygiene at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, is proud of the Class of 2025.
“It means a lot that this class made a donation. It shows a sense of social responsibility and a commitment to paying it forward, so future students can advocate for patients who need care,” Bertone said.
Müller Morán said that her class thought it would be great to give back, even though they only graduated in May.
“We felt it would be good to start early,” Müller Morán said. “We thought, if we can make an impact now, then why don’t we do that. I think it’s just going to encourage all of us to give back in the future.”
If you would like to donate to the School of Dental Hygiene patient funds, please get in touch with Brooke Karlaftis, UM donor relations officer, at [email protected].
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