The next four years of Jon Trujillo’s life materialized in 10 seconds. Surrounded by his fellow medical students, they all counted down to the exact moment they received their residency matches before opening up the envelopes that decided their future.
“Opening it and seeing UT Austin (was a) beautiful moment where it feels like all the four years of medical school and the hard, long nights had finally paid off,” said Trujillo, who matched to UT’s neurology residency program. “I want my tears to be a description more than anything, because it’s truly descriptionless.”
National Match Day 2026, which took place on March 20, continued breaking program records of participation, with 44,344 total positions offered across the country. Since Dell Medical School opened in 2016, 100% of graduates have matched to a residency every year.
Of the 40 Dell Med graduates who matched, 50% matched to programs in Texas, with half staying in Austin.
KC Koepp, one of this spring’s graduates who matched to general surgery at Dell Med and is a mother of three, graduated from the Naval Academy and served eight years as a pilot in the Marine Corps before attending Dell Med. On Match Day, she said her sons were there helping her rip up the envelope.
“The last time I was that excited about that kind of a moment was when I graduated from the Naval Academy, and we all threw our hats in the air and planes (flew) by,” Koepp said.
Yasir Mian, one of this spring’s graduates, became Dell Med’s first-ever match into interventional radiology. Mian will graduate with both a master’s and doctoral degree from Dell Med, matching to an interventional radiology position at UT Health Science Centers San Antonio.
Medical residency is a multi-year work and training program for doctors who have recently graduated from medical school. The length of residency varies by specialty.
“Residency is a time to absorb as much information as you can and not only provide care for the patient, but also take every opportunity to learn and benefit from our mentors and faculty,” Mian said.
Students spend years preparing for Match Day, with the support of Dell Med’s faculty, such as Dr. Alefiyah Malbari, associate professor of pediatrics and courtesy associate professor of medical education at Dell Med.
“I always remind them that the reason it’s called commencement is that it’s not an ending,” Malbari said. “It really is the beginning of your career as a doctor.”
Malbari mentors medical students like Trujillo throughout their four years and was greatly involved in the development of their personal well-being.
“She saw us when we first started medical school and didn’t know how to use a stethoscope, and she’s been with us throughout the four years, seeing us grow,” Trujillo said.