Students Share What's Cooking on Cultural Night

Dr. Herminio Perez, far right, and students enjoy the Cultural Night feast.

Dishes ranged from Korean fried pancakes, courtesy of the Asian American Dental Society, to the Arab Dental Society's spinach pies, and the Hispanic Dental Association's chicken and plantains.

RSDM has eight student cultural clubs, reflecting its status as one of the most diverse dental schools in the nation.

Last month, more than 100 club members and others students celebrated together on Cultural Night, which has become the school's best and biggest potluck. "I knew each separately had so much to offer, and I wanted to bring them together,'' said third-year student, Tom Viccaro, one of the organizers.

This is the second year students have held Cultural Night, where each club can affirm its identity while sharing a culinary tradition that helps make it unique. It's also a way for students to bond outside of the clinic and classroom, said Viccaro.

"What people get out of it is a sense of community,'' he said.