SAN ANTONIO (May 14, 2015) ― Jason Jones, a graduate of Permian High School and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” May 8 at the 45th anniversary gala of the School of Dentistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Jones is a third-year dental student at the Health Science Center. He is expected to graduate from the School of Dentistry in the class of 2016. He is married to Izbel Soto Jones, who also is from Odessa. They are expecting their first child.
More than 400 guests and 200 dental students attended the gala, which raised about $50,000 for the School of Dentistry’s new Center for Oral Health Care & Research, opening later this year in the South Texas Medical Center. The state-of-the-art clinical building will have 200 exam rooms to be used by dental students under the supervision of dental faculty members. There also will be treatment rooms and clinics designated for dental residents and post-graduates in their specialties, as well as care provided by dental faculty members. Oral research will also be conducted in the new facility.
Jones performed in the choir at both of his alma maters. In high school he was president of Kantorei, the top mixed chorus, was a member of Black Magic, the show choir, and was a member of the All-Region and All-State choirs. He also was co-captain of the football team and graduated among the top 10 students in his class.
At UTPB, Jones graduated magna cum laude from the honors program with a major in biology and minor in chemistry.
After graduating from dental school next year, Jones hopes to enter a post-doctoral residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery and eventually practice dental surgery in Odessa.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 13 percent of academic institutions receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 31,000 graduates. The $787.7 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.