Match Day is the culmination of many years of commitment, hard work, and sacrifice for medical students as they learn where they will go for their residency after graduation. This day marks a significant phase of their journey to becoming future physicians.
On March 15 at 10 a.m., graduating medical students will be surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones as they learn where they have been accepted for residency training.
Click on the stories below to learn more about our students and their journey to Match Day.
For more information and details on Match Day 2024, please click here.
At the Intersection of Research and Advocacy
For Thy Nguyen, becoming a doctor wasn’t initially part of the plan. However, experience after experience kept nudging her toward the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a life dedicated to helping others through health care.
“I didn’t think I would be a doctor when I finished undergrad,” she says.
Nguyen, who was raised in Arizona, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2014 and took on a job in environmental health consulting. From there, she knew she wanted to play a more tangible role in the lives and health of others.
Service Is a Lifelong Mission For a Military-Member Med Student
Austin Almand’s life experience has been much different than that of many of his University of Colorado School of Medicine classmates: Nine years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, including special-operations deployments to combat zones across the globe. A master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Working at a remote clinic in India. Helping NASA assess the medical challenges of deep-space travel. Teaching battlefield-trauma skills to Ukrainian forces.
And now he’s almost through with four years of medical school. He awaits Match Day, March 15, when he and his classmates will be matched with their residency program.
A Student’s Promise to Support Diversity in Health Care
Folake Adegboye didn’t always dream of becoming a doctor. Even after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Kennesaw State University in 2014, it took several years before she decided to pursue medical school. It was after she volunteered for a year at a children’s hospital and worked as a scribe in an emergency department in Atlanta that she began picturing a future in a white coat.
Yet, when she first applied to medical schools, she was rejected. So, she tried a second time and was again rejected. But this didn’t stop her, and she proved that the third time was the charm.
Becoming the Best Surgeon for Soldiers and Their Families
Compared to his classmates, Match Day holds little stress for fourth-year medical student and Navy Ensign Anthony Smyth.
Smyth has been able to “ski guilt free” since December, when he participated in Military Match and learned he matched for his residency in orthopedics at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, his first-choice program.
Even though he feels a sense of relief, he feels for his classmates as they anticipate Match Day on March 15.
April 3, 2024