The mission of Saturday Academy is to cultivate a more diverse and representative oral health workforce by empowering high school students through mentorship and hands-on career exploration.

Saturday Academy

Mission and Background

The mission of Saturday Academy is to cultivate a more diverse and representative oral health workforce by empowering high school students through mentorship and hands-on career exploration.

Established in 2012 by Dr. Lorel Burns and Dr. Cheryline Pezzullo — at the time, both second-year students at the College — this preparatory program meets biweekly on Saturdays, 7 sessions per Fall semester, and has introduced 457 high school students to the field of dentistry as a career option. We are happy to report that some of our early Saturday Academy alumni are now dentists.

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Curriculum

Fall semester, bi-weekly, 7 sessions

Week 1: Introduction to Dentistry // College Search (Parent Session)
Week 2: Oral Bacteria // Professionalism
Week 3: Head and Neck Anatomy // Resumes
Week 4: Principles of Wound Healing // Mentor/Mentee Relationships
Week 5: Oral Pathology // Personal Statements
Week 6: Translational Research // Mock Interviews
Week 7: Graduation (Parent Session)

Program Components

This tuition-free program includes

Hands-on introduction to clinical dentistry and dental specialties
Mentorship from NYU dental students and faculty
Professional development and college readiness workshops
Exposure to public health and health equity topics
Career exploration in healthcare and STEM fields
Academic enrichment activities and group discussions

Candidate Qualifications

We encourage applications from students of all backgrounds. Ideal candidates will:

Be currently enrolled in high school. Sophomores and juniors strongly encouraged; freshmen and seniors welcome.
Be able to commute to NYU College of Dentistry for all program sessions
Demonstrate interest in healthcare, dentistry, or STEM
Be committed to fully engaging in all program components

Faculty Co-Directors

Lorel Burns, DDS
Cheryline Pezzullo, DDS

Core Volunteers

Jennifer Darkinson ‘26
Demond Ferguson Mora ’26
Maggie Tsang ’26
Kayla Hoke ’27
Amayokun Adeniyi ‘28
Julia Ayroso ’28
Druvilkumar Desai ‘28

Student Leaders

Maria Cordero, DDS Class of ’26
Roberto Guerrero, DDS Class of ’26

Student Testimonials

Saturday Academy Testimonials

Interested in learning more about the NYU Dentistry Saturday Academy?

Contact Us

saturday.academy@nyu.edu

All are welcome to apply, especially students historically underrepresented in dentistry

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