Local dentist rewards motivated future students of medicine
A dentist from Woodbury has made a pair of students smile by awarding each a $300 scholarship.
W. Michael Perrige Jr. and wife Sharon Perrige started the annual scholarship this year as a way to give back to the community in which they work. Perrige owns a dental practice located at 55 W. Broad St. in Gibbstown, and has worked there for 22 years. Sharon manages the office.
Perrige has been a practicing dentist for 28 years, and prior to owning the Gibbstown office, he worked at a practice in Philadelphia.
“My wife and I thought about getting more involved in the community. We wanted to reach out to students interested in health care in the area we serve, so we contacted two local high schools to help organize the scholarship for students,” he said.
Perrige contacted Kingsway Regional High School and Paulsboro High School to set up the first annual Dr. W. Michael Perrige Jr. Medical Science Award for senior students.
To qualify, scholarship winners were required to be graduating seniors in good standing academically, with good character and plans to pursue an education in the medical field.
“We didn’t necessarily want to award the number one or number two student, because we assumed there were other awards for those students. We wanted good students who are motivated and directed towards a goal,” he said.
Alexis Pompey, 17, is a 2009 graduate of Kingsway Regional High School and a recipient of the Perrige scholarship.
Pompey, of Woolwich Township, will be a chemistry and pre-med major at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee in the fall.
In high school, Pompey was a member of National Honor Society member and Cultures Club. After graduating from college, she hopes to be an anesthesiologist. When Pompey received the award at her school graduation, she was shocked. “It felt really good to receive it, and I was totally surprised,” she said.
Michelle Silvestro, 18, a 2009 graduate of Paulsboro High School, also received a Perrige scholarship.
The Gibbstown resident will attend Gloucester County College in the fall to study nursing. Silvestro was a field hockey, basketball, track and softball player in high school.
She was inspired to work toward a career in the nursing field after seeing the way nursing staff interacted with her great-grandmother while she was hospitalized. After graduation, she hopes to work in an emergency room.
“Helping people appeals to me,” she said.
Silvestro recently purchased a few books for her classes this fall, and is thankful for the Perrige scholarship that she was awarded.
“I was really excited when they called my name for it. I was overwhelmed. It will help out a lot with books, because nursing books are not that cheap,” she said.
Perrige let the school districts choose the winning students based on the guidelines he provided.
The Perriges plan to offer the scholarship next year.
In the past, Perrige visited and invited local schools into his practice to teach young students about oral hygiene, dental care equipment and good nutrition. His goal is to get students in kindergarten comfortable with going to the dentist by familiarizing them with what dentists do.
“We have a lot of fun doing it, and kids are all bright-eyed and inquisitive,” he said. Perrige has worked with young students at schools such as Jeffrey Clarke School in Mickleton and the Guardian Angel School in Gibbstown.
“My goal is that they have a better comfort level and understand what they will experience, if they haven’t experienced a dental visit before,” he said.
W. Michael Perrige Jr. and wife Sharon Perrige started the annual scholarship this year as a way to give back to the community in which they work. Perrige owns a dental practice located at 55 W. Broad St. in Gibbstown, and has worked there for 22 years. Sharon manages the office.
Perrige has been a practicing dentist for 28 years, and prior to owning the Gibbstown office, he worked at a practice in Philadelphia.
“My wife and I thought about getting more involved in the community. We wanted to reach out to students interested in health care in the area we serve, so we contacted two local high schools to help organize the scholarship for students,” he said.
Perrige contacted Kingsway Regional High School and Paulsboro High School to set up the first annual Dr. W. Michael Perrige Jr. Medical Science Award for senior students.
To qualify, scholarship winners were required to be graduating seniors in good standing academically, with good character and plans to pursue an education in the medical field.
“We didn’t necessarily want to award the number one or number two student, because we assumed there were other awards for those students. We wanted good students who are motivated and directed towards a goal,” he said.
Alexis Pompey, 17, is a 2009 graduate of Kingsway Regional High School and a recipient of the Perrige scholarship.
Pompey, of Woolwich Township, will be a chemistry and pre-med major at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee in the fall.
In high school, Pompey was a member of National Honor Society member and Cultures Club. After graduating from college, she hopes to be an anesthesiologist. When Pompey received the award at her school graduation, she was shocked. “It felt really good to receive it, and I was totally surprised,” she said.
Michelle Silvestro, 18, a 2009 graduate of Paulsboro High School, also received a Perrige scholarship.
The Gibbstown resident will attend Gloucester County College in the fall to study nursing. Silvestro was a field hockey, basketball, track and softball player in high school.
She was inspired to work toward a career in the nursing field after seeing the way nursing staff interacted with her great-grandmother while she was hospitalized. After graduation, she hopes to work in an emergency room.
“Helping people appeals to me,” she said.
Silvestro recently purchased a few books for her classes this fall, and is thankful for the Perrige scholarship that she was awarded.
“I was really excited when they called my name for it. I was overwhelmed. It will help out a lot with books, because nursing books are not that cheap,” she said.
Perrige let the school districts choose the winning students based on the guidelines he provided.
The Perriges plan to offer the scholarship next year.
In the past, Perrige visited and invited local schools into his practice to teach young students about oral hygiene, dental care equipment and good nutrition. His goal is to get students in kindergarten comfortable with going to the dentist by familiarizing them with what dentists do.
“We have a lot of fun doing it, and kids are all bright-eyed and inquisitive,” he said. Perrige has worked with young students at schools such as Jeffrey Clarke School in Mickleton and the Guardian Angel School in Gibbstown.
“My goal is that they have a better comfort level and understand what they will experience, if they haven’t experienced a dental visit before,” he said.
