Meeting the Makers: University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s Women's Dental Association Visits Enova Illumination

Meeting your neighbors can lead to the most unexpected joys—especially when a shared passion brings you together.

For dental students at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, a recent opportunity to meet a nearby industry leader allowed them to network, connect and gain valuable insights into the field of precision dental equipment.

Located right down the road in Golden Valley, Enova Illumination is a Minnesota-based company which manufactures dental loupes, lights, surgical headlights and dental microscopes. The company recently hosted members of the University’s Women's Dental Association (WDA) for a tour of their headquarters, which includes a manufacturing facility and a 16-seat training center.

Second-year students Alexandra Schaffer and Evelyn Tjoanda, president and vice president of WDA, organized the event for 40 students, both those enrolled in the School of Dentistry and those in the pre-dental program. The visit was part of an effort from the student group’s leadership to “get involved in the community outside of Moos tower,” Schaffer said. Tjoanda collaborated with the school’s Noelle McComb Simonson, a former colleague of Andrea Miller, who is marketing communications manager at Enova Illumination. Simonson introduced Miller to the student leaders, and the visit became a reality.

For her part, Miller was happy to welcome the University field trip. “The students had great energy, and our team loved being able to connect with so many people of that age group at one time,” she said. “The Enova folks who are on the production side reported back that they got some really great questions from the students.

“They watched us build loupes, and they were impressed by and appreciative of the amount of care and time we take in crafting the equipment. And we gave them a heads-up on some of the technology that’s coming their way, which is going to be so different from what they’re experiencing now in school.”

During the students’ time in the training center, they were able to participate in microscope simulations in the lab-like setting. “It’s really cool that we got to have that hands-on experience,” Tjoanda said. For Schaffer, “It gave us an opportunity to step outside the classroom, see what dentistry is like in the real world and find out what’s cutting-edge.” 

Schaffer and Tjoanda were pleased to see so many pre-dental students take part in the outing. "I would have loved this event when I was a pre-dental student, especially for the opportunities to use the microscopes and loupes,” Tjoanda said. "When I talked to the ‘predentals’ who attended, they said it really motivated them to study harder and apply to dental school soon. I'm excited to see them in our group next year.” 

Looking ahead, Schaffer highlighted an upcoming WDA event featuring Dr. Ann Norrlander, Forensic Odontologist and TV Personality on Forensic Files. Norrlander will present on how to pursue a career in dental forensics.