BENECARE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
As a carrier founded by dental professionals, BeneCare emphasizes the clinical side of the coverage equation and its importance to overall good health. To support that mission, BeneCare has established an annual scholarship at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine to help support future generations of dental professionals.
SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
Each year, the BeneCare Dental Plans Scholarship is awarded to a dental school student that meets the following criteria:
- The student must be in their second year of dental school;
- The student must be in good academic standing;
- The student must have a financial need.
The BeneCare Dental Scholarship represents our commitment to upholding the community standards of good clinical care.
MEET ZOE — HER MOTHER KNEW BEST
Congratulations to Zoe Singer, our first annual scholarship recipient. Zoe’s interest in dentistry was first recognized by her mother when Zoe was just a tween. At the time, Zoe was getting fitted for braces when her mother noticed her curiosity in the entire process. “You should be an orthodontist,” her mother told her. “No way,” Zoe retorted. “I’m never going to do that.”
A little over a decade later, Zoe has changed her mind about the dental profession, although she hasn’t decided whether or not to specialize. Sadly, Zoe lost her mother at the age of 16, but Zoe says that her discovery of her interest in the dental profession has the sentimental reward of knowing, “Mom was always right.”
ZOE’S SQUIGGLY PARALLEL PATH
Zoe was born in New York City and raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, she received her Bachelor’s Degree from Hamilton College where she majored in mathematics.
Following college, Zoe spent three years at Columbia University Medical Center as a Clinical Research Coordinator, working with patients with uveal melanoma and sarcoma. It was this experience combined with her own personal, family encounters with serious illness that made her realize she wanted to:
- Be involved in some aspect of healthcare;
- Practice in an area that is cosmetic in nature;
- Use her love of working with her hands.
“Dentistry ticked all of the boxes,” Zoe concluded. “It’s rewarding to help someone on an everyday basis in a way that makes them feel good about themselves.” The running joke between Zoe and her father about her journey to dental school is that it followed “A Squiggly Parallel Path.”
ABNER DOUBLEDAY & MADAME DEFARGE?
From a recreational perspective, Zoe is passionate about softball and played up through college, ending her career with a batting average of .296 and an ERA of 4.92. As she works her way through dental school, Zoe is trading her softball spikes for a white coat, which she may actually make herself. Zoe is an avid crafter who loves knitting and painting, two disciplines that require acute dexterity. At some point, Zoe wants to try her hand at making her own clothing with a sewing machine, a luxury item that Madame Defarge would have envied.
CONGRATULATIONS ZOE!
Congratulations to Zoe Singer, the recipient of BeneCare’s inaugural scholarship award! We are proud to support the future of the profession and wish you much success in your dental career!
