Match Day—when the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) notifies US medical students where they’ve been placed for residency—happens on the third Friday of March each year. In recent weeks, as this much-anticipated date was approaching, several members of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine’s graduating Class of 2025 took a moment to share their thoughts about reaching this important milestone in their lives and careers.
The following interview excerpts have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What life challenges have made Match Day significant for you?
Jacob Abrahams: I was diagnosed with and treated for a brain tumor about a month before starting at KPSOM. My journey these past few years has been defined by my own transition from patient to physician, and matching into Internal Medicine is incredibly meaningful, as it marks one step closer to my hopeful future career in Oncology or Critical Care, where I can provide compassionate care, guided [by] my own experiences as a patient in need.
Saadiq Garba: As a first-generation American, reaching Match Day means so much to me and my family. It is the culmination of many years of challenges that I could not have achieved without the village of people behind me. There are innumerable people to thank for all their support from those who taught me English, encouraged me through college when I was homesick, and believed in me when the going got tougher in medical school. This was never my achievement alone.
Brandon Towns: My journey through medical school has been unique—not only was I learning how to become a physician, but I was also learning how to be a patient. During my first semester at KPSOM, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Amid the usual stress of exams and lectures, I found myself juggling PET scans and bone marrow biopsies. Over the course of the academic year, I underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. I reflect on that year of fear and uncertainty with a mosaic of emotions, but none more so than gratitude for the perspective I gained on patient care and for the firsthand understanding of what true empathy means for those facing the most frightening moments of their lives.
Daniel Zhong: As a non-traditional student who is matching in my mid-30s, I'm especially grateful to be starting the next stage of my training. I don't believe that I would even be becoming a physician if it was not for a school like KPSOM. The belief and support the school has given me has allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a community doctor in California.
