SAY HELLO TO ALESSANDRO
Say hello to Alessandro Padovani, the recipient of BeneCare’s Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Scholarship. Alessandro is a native of Hammonton, NJ, where he grew up with his parents and twin sister, who is currently attending medical school.
Since Alessandro was a young boy, his father emphasized how his athletic ability could be a gateway to a college scholarship. Alessandro took the advice to heart and excelled at several team sports. His first love is baseball. Part of the attraction is the warm weather and camaraderie of the dugout, but it was football that opened the door to college. In 2013, Alessandro was offered a scholarship to play for the Villanova Wildcats as a wide receiver.
A WIDE RECEIVER CATCHES THE BUG FOR DENTISTRY
Alessandro wanted to enter a profession where he could help people, but dentistry was not his first choice. Instead, he chose nursing, primarily because his perception of dentistry wasn’t exactly positive. His viewpoint was tainted by a bad accident he had when he was 8-years-old. The accident resulted in the loss of his two maxillary central incisors, two of the most visible front teeth.
At the time, dentistry’s solution for the tooth loss was a partial denture. Alessandro never felt comfortable wearing the appliance, and he wasn’t satisfied with his smile. However, that would change after a teammate introduced Alessandro to someone who would inspire him to enter the dentistry field. His soon-to-be mentor was Dr. David Causa.
“I CAN MAKE PEOPLE SMILE”
Alessandro was working as an ICU nurse at the peak of the COVID pandemic when he visited Dr. Causa about restoring his two front teeth. Dr. Causa’s chairside manner and expertise in the restoration process was an eye opener. “I never knew how much dentistry could effect a person’s life until I experienced it myself,” says Alessandro. “It gave me self-confidence and made me realize I can make people smile.”
At that point, Alessandro started studying for the Dental Admission Test to plot a course to make the transition into dentistry. “You create things with your hands too. It’s a balance of art and science,” states Alessandro. “I made a 180-degree turn on the dental profession.”
~Alessandro Padovani, BeneCare Scholarship Recipient“I never knew how much dentistry could effect a person’s life until I experienced it myself,” says Alessandro. “It gave me self-confidence and made me realize I can make people smile.”
“IT’S NICE TO BE IMPORTANT, BUT IT’S MORE IMPORTANT TO BE NICE.”
When Alessandro isn’t studying, you might find him visiting friends and family; paddling a kayak on a warm summer morning; or volunteering in the community. His mother is a pancreatic cancer survivor and he volunteers for the annual PanCan 5K run to raise awareness and money for research.
Alessandro is also involved with “Be the Match,” a national bone marrow registry that encourages individuals to add their DNA to the database with a simple swab of the cheek. The database is a resource for transplant candidates to locate a potential bone marrow donor, a life-saving procedure for a variety of diseases.
Alessandro also takes advantage of volunteer opportunities offered through Rutgers. He has participated in outreach initiatives that work with underserved children to teach them the importance of good oral health. “As Villanova’s Coach Andy Tally would say,” notes Alessandro, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
CONGRATULATIONS ALESSANDRO!
Congratulations to Alessandro Padovani, BeneCare’s 2023-24 scholarship recipient. BeneCare is proud to support the future of the dental profession and wishes you much success in your dental career!
BENECARE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
As an organization 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.
