Class of 2025 Begins Their Alumni Chapter

On the 19th of May, 128 Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) students received their DMD degrees, and 27 received advanced dental degrees in dental specialties at the Convocation held in New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). The event marked a momentous milestone in their professional journeys.

The event began with a welcome from RSDM Vice Dean Kim Fenesy ’86 and remarks from Dean Cecile A. Feldman as well as RSDM alumna and Rutgers Board of Trustees member Yanique Le-Cadre ’93’00. “Graduating from Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is no small feat. It required excellence, determination, and grit,” Le-Cadre told the Class of 2025. “Dental school was hard. Be confident that you are leaving here today with a strong foundation for success no matter what career path and dentistry you choose. … Give back your time and talents. Be a champion for dental health in your community and abroad. I urge you to get involved with organized dentistry because advocacy matters. You have made a significant financial investment and sacrifice to enter this profession. It is your duty to protect it.”

President of the New Jersey Dental Association and alumna Elisa Velazquez ’99’01 echoed similar sentiments. “You are joining a community of professionals who share a commitment to improving the health and well-being of others,” she said. “Together we will continue to advocate for better access to care, fairer policies, and the growth of our profession.”

President of RSDM Alumni Association Donald Lapine welcomed the new class into the alumni family. “You're joining the ranks of 65 graduating classes,” he said. “This is not the end for you, but only the beginning. Not only the beginning of your careers, but also a continued relationship with all of us here today. … Our alumni are extensive, accomplished, and proud. They want to pay it forward as I am now charging you with the same.”

Following the remarks, President of the New Jersey Board of Dentistry Nicholas DeRobertis led the Class of 2025 to recite the Dental Oath. The hooding ceremony began, symbolizing graduates’ formal entry into the dental profession. The lilac hood represents dentistry, and the scarlet inner lining denotes Rutgers University. Hannah Ciullo received the Stanley S. Bergen Jr., M.D., Medal of Excellence, presented by Rutgers Health Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs Denise Rodgers. This prestigious award is given to a graduating student from each Rutgers Health school who exemplifies outstanding academic accomplishments. Additionally, 10 students, namely Marissa Danielle Bocchiaro, Brett John Chappell, Hannah Ciullo, Kinga Bernadetta Dabek, Ashley Rose Hay, Samara Jill Kaplan, Georgina Stampelos, Elias Burnett Travis, Rebekah Lynn Webster, and Zeeshan Zahid, were inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) National Dental Honor Society, which recognizes the highest standards of scholarship, professionalism, and ethics in the dentistry. Four students, Brett John Chappell, Frank Cundiff, James Edward Tomasello, and Iris Wong, were commissioned as Officer in the US Military upon Graduation.

Class President Wong addressed the audience, recapping highlights from the class’s four years, including a hurricane during their White Coat Ceremony. “Together we shared many labs, learned a lot, and grew as clinicians. If there's anything I want to share with underclassmen present today is that RSDM is what you make of it,” she said. “I took advantage of every opportunity I could, and I learned so much from this incredible program. To my beautiful classmates, you should all be so unbelievably proud of yourselves because it has been incredible seeing all of you grow these last few years. 164 newsletters later, it has an absolute honor and privilege to serve as your class president these last four years.”