2024 Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship

Recipient | Iliana Acevedo

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Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS, a Los Angeles Cosmetic Dentist, founded a scholarship program several years ago with the goal of supporting and inspiring students as they pursue career in the field of science. As these students strive to achieve their higher education, they face financial expenses that are difficult to handle. Dr. Kezian sought to address this issue by creating this annual scholarship program. Inspired by his own experience as a student of biochemistry at UCLA and ultimately achieving his degree in dentistry, Dr. Kezian understands the financial pressures these students are facing. He aims to support the students financially so that they focus a little less on the money and more on pursuing their dreams.

This year, we are proud to announce a new scholarship recipient to award and congratulate Iliana Acevedo. Iliana is an incredible, well-rounded student who has many amazing achievements in the field of science, specifically in the fields of medicine. She was an excellent high school student from Granada Hills High School who graduated in 2023 as her class Valedictorian. Iliana is a current Sophomore at WashU (Washington University in St. Louis) double majoring in Biology and Anthropology on the premedical track. She hopes to use her education to help overcome obstacles minorities face today. Diving into the rhetoric of medicine and the causes of inequity, by learning others’ experiences and sharing her own, she hope to guide the next generation, helping make medicine a more diverse and equitable field.

Iliana loves getting involved with her community and on campus is a part of several clubs. As a part of EST (Emergency Support Team), Iliana serves as an EMT providing free 24/7 service care to her peers. She also holds several positions on EST. She is currently on Selections, in charge of designing the interview process for new technicians to become a part of EST. Most recently, she also became a CPR instructor and holds free classes for students and faculty to become CPR certified. She has started a pilot program with a few of her team members that offers CPR classes in Spanish in order to address the health disparities in Hispanic communities. Due to the recent efforts of her team, WashU has been named a Heart Safe Campus and has received the Missouri Public Health Association Award.

Aside from EST, she is also involved with the Wilderness Project on campus, a club that leads an annual free backpacking trip for first years and transfer students. She is also a peer mentor for Chemistry and has started researching phages with her mentor at the WashU School of Medicine. Iliana has been able to manage all of this all while maintaining Dean’s List status. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places in St. Louis, dancing and coloring. These roles are reflections of her character and values which align with the values of the Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science scholarship.

Iliana was very appreciative and honored to be the recipient of the Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship for the 2023-2024 school years. When he was asked about her thoughts on the award and the impact it will have on her career, she replied with the following: “I feel very fortunate to have people like Dr. Kezian believe in me. With this scholarship, I am able to continue pursuing my dreams of becoming the first physician in my family. Someday I hope to be in a similar position where I can give back to students like this.”

To see Iliana’s video submission for her application, please click the following link:

The entire staff at Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS would like to congratulate Iliana Acevedo for all of her accomplishments. The committee strongly believes she is deserving of the award and wishes her the best of luck on her journey. We are all very proud of her triumph and hope to see her develop a successful career in health care and science.

Dr. Kezian thanks all those who applied this year to the scholarship and wishes them the best in all their studies and future goals. This year we had several hundred applicants, and each one was amazing, qualified, and had inspiring ambitions and accomplishments. He is encouraging these students to keep pursuing their dreams and working hard. He hopes that the students can apply again for the upcoming scholarship applications for a new chance at receiving $1,200 to use towards their education. Applications will again open up November 1, 2023.

The scholarship program will open again this coming year. To get further information about the applications including requirements and eligibility, make sure to check out our scholarship page on our website at https://www.drkezian.com/science-scholarship/. If you believe you are a good candidate for the scholarship, or know someone who is and can benefit from it, please apply and urge them to do as well.

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Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS
443 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 467-2777
www.drkezian.com