Thursday Talks: Michael Pignataro ’24
For our next student feature on Thursday Talks, we have Michael Pignataro. He is the president of RSDM’s Student Government Association (SGA) and a fourth-year DMD candidate.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at RSDM.
I’m from Monmouth County, NJ. I grew up there my whole life and went to Monmouth University for undergrad. I am a current D4 here at RSDM and served as the Class of 2024 Vice President for my first three years until I was elected as the SGA president for this academic year. In this role, I’m responsible for holding monthly SGA meetings, where representatives from each class report any issues, club representatives represent their happenings, and we discuss other school-wide student business. Throughout the year, I’ll also be responsible for helping organize the club fair, annual gala, cultural thanksgiving, spring fest, and attend Dean's monthly student meetings.
Why did you decide to come to RSDM?
I took four years off between undergrad and dental school. I worked in a general dentist office for 3 and a half years and in an oral surgeon’s office for 2 and a half years before coming to RSDM. I completed a master’s program in biomedical sciences here at Rutgers. While I was in that program, I got a chance to interact with the faculty here and learn about the RSDM program. I really liked the layout of the courses here, as well as the student body and environment the school holds.
How does it feel to be a D4?
It feels both nerve wracking and exciting. I never thought this day would actually come. I remember thinking dental school was going to take forever, and now I look around and just see so many new faces in the classes below me. It’s nerve wracking though because I know all the requirements I have yet to complete and will have to work on throughout the year. Overall, it’s a good feeling for sure, it’s very bittersweet.
What do you like the most about RSDM?
I love how intensive our clinical requirements are. Compared to other dental schools, our program forces us to do so much more. While it is really stressful now, at the end of the day it’s ultimately the best thing about this school because it makes us so much more confident with our clinical skills. When dentists in practice hear that we went to Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, they are very impressed.
What do you enjoy doing outside school?
I really value my time with my friends and family. I’m from the Jersey shore area, so something I look forward to most is spending weekends every summer down in Belmar at a shore house.
