Anticipation reverberated from a crowd of more than 160 fourth-year medical students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on March 21 as they counted down the seconds until they could open the envelopes in their hands.
While small in size, each envelope held big, life-changing news: the residency program the student will go to after graduation, marking the next chapter in their journey to becoming physicians.
The day, known as Match Day, is an annual event where medical students across the country simultaneously learn the residency program they have “matched” into.
“It’s important today to recognize that you are now becoming part of a legacy of people who graduated from CU and positively impact patients’ and fellow colleagues’ lives,” said CU School of Medicine Dean John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA. “Whether you are staying here or leaving us, remember, we will always be part of your family.”
Associate Dean of Student Life Brian Dwinnell, MD, also recognized colleagues at the Fort Collins Regional Medical Campus, which was created in collaboration with the CU School of Medicine and Colorado State University. This year marks the first Match Day for those who matriculated in Fort Collins.
“You are going to have the opportunity to positively impact lives no matter where you train,” Dwinnell said to the Class of 2025. “In our current world, riddled with fear and uncertainty, anchor on the fact that every day of your life, you have the opportunity to make a difference.”
A group of fourth-year CU medical students celebrating Match Day at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building on Friday, March 21, 2025. Photo by Melissa Santorelli.
Matching at CU and beyond
As the CU students eagerly tore open their envelopes, cheers and applause echoed from the Anschutz Health Sciences Building, where students, school leaders, and loved ones gathered to celebrate the momentous occasion. As some jumped and shrieked in excitement, others shared tender hugs and wiped away tears of joy.
Student Dillon McKinley doesn’t consider himself to be a very emotional person, but when he opened his envelope and saw that he matched into the CU Internal Medicine Residency Program, a rush of feelings came over him.
“I welled up and couldn’t speak,” he said, expressing his excitement. “My ultimate goal is to become a hospitalist, and the program here is the only program in the country that has a hospitalist track.”
Dillon McKinley, second from the left, celebrates his match into the CU Internal Medicine Residency Program with loved ones on Friday, March 21, 2025. Photo by Melissa Santorelli.
For students like McKinley who will remain at CU for their residency training, Sampson expressed his commitment “to make sure that this continues to be the best place for you to work,” emphasizing the important role residents play. For those whose residency programs will take them elsewhere, he said he hopes they find a similarly supportive environment and remember that they always have a place at CU.
“Becoming an excellent physician while maintaining your love of learning requires autonomy, passion, and the ability to follow your path,” Sampson said. “That’s your goal, and that’s our goal.”
Other students matched into programs across the nation, scattered from New York to California. Among them were friends Alex Zhang, who will be going to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics to pursue becoming an OB-GYN, and Jordan Nelson, who will join the internal medicine residency program at Tufts Medical Center in Massachusetts. When they saw their matches, they felt both relief and excitement.
“It went by very fast,” Zhang said of his time at CU, sharing that he was looking forward to the next chapter.
“I think CU prepared us well,” Nelson added.
Sera Sempson celebrates her match into the neurosurgery residency program at CU. Photo by Melissa Santorelli.
Dreams becoming reality
The Class of 2025 is the first cohort of students to have fully gone through the school’s latest curriculum, called the Trek Curriculum, which was adopted in 2021. Fourth-year students and Match Day co-hosts Andy Ascencio and YooJin Yoon underscored that their classmates helped lay the foundation for incoming CU medical students.
“Our class has gone through a lot of firsts. Everyone had their own unique journey through medical school and faced their own battles,” Ascencio said. “Now, we have all reached the Summit of the Trek Curriculum.”
“And for that, we are trailblazers,” added Yoon.
Student speaker Patrick Zimmerman reflected on the “jumbled mess” of emotions the students felt on Match Day, including joy, fear, excitement, uncertainty, and pride as they looked at what they have achieved and the future before them. He also noted that as medical students, they have “tended to humanity in its moments of greatest need,” whether it be by guiding patients through life-altering diagnoses or holding the hand of a grieving family member.
“We have found that the real charge of a physician is not to seek greatness in the obvious ways such as academic prowess, prestige, or influence, but in the quiet moments of connection,” Zimmerman said. “Faced with suffering caused by a world that at times seems uncaring, the healer takes it upon themself to soften others’ pain.”
He encouraged his fellow students to think on their own moments of greatness — the care they have shown to patients and the times they have shared with loved ones — as they look ahead to residency.
“Match Day is the culmination of the dreams we’ve carried with us for years,” Zimmerman said. “As we springboard into the next step of our careers, let’s hold our circle tight and cherish the significance of this moment. The dreams of our younger selves have mingled into reality.”
Patrick Zimmerman will join the internal medicine residency training program at the University of California San Diego. Photo by Melissa Santorelli.
Tips for future success
Keynote speaker Bruce McCollister, MD, associate professor of infectious diseases, reflected on the importance of Match Day, noting that while some people may be elated by their match, others may be feeling trepidation or disappointment.
“No matter the outcome of the match, you should all be congratulated for the great accomplishments you’ve made so far. Remember that the match, while significant, does not define your work as a physician or as a person,” he said. “This day is not the culmination of your journey but is rather the beginning of a new chapter in your life, your education, and your growth as a person as well as a physician.”
His four pieces of advice for the Class of 2025 were to acknowledge and embrace the challenges ahead, be humble, be curious, and practice grace. Although residency is an important and exciting endeavor, there will be days where residents will question their abilities, he noted.
“Remember that it's OK to be vulnerable. Vulnerability acknowledges our shared human experiences of imperfection, doubt, and struggle. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness,” he said. “Be humble, ask questions. Remember that your leadership in medicine is not about asserting authority. It’s about fostering collaboration.
“Do not let the title of doctor elevate you, let it serve to ground you,” he added. “Remember that this is just the beginning and not the end of the journey. There will be many, many bright days ahead.”
Senior Associate Dean for Education Shanta Zimmer, MD, shared she still gets emotional at Match Day celebrations, even though she’s attended many over the years. She said she does her job because she is “committed to preserving the pieces of the profession of medicine that we were all called to bring forward.”
“We have a lot of threats that we’re facing in our world. There are threats to science. There are threats to trust in the profession. And it's your job to make sure that my dream of preserving those things comes true. That's a big responsibility, but I'm confident that you can do it,” Zimmer said. “Take care of yourselves so that you can take care of others. … Start the transition now from being a medical student to being a teacher and a role model. I can’t tell you how proud I am today.”
