On National Match Day, 100 percent of our graduates earned a residency assignment — at some of the most prestigious institutions in America.

As the 58 members of our inaugural class become doctors at 1 p.m. on Sunday, they are ready to distinguish themselves in hospitals, clinics and medical centers across the United States.

They are headed to a variety of prestigious residency programs coast to coast, including those located at Yale University, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of North Carolina and the University of California-San Francisco.

In keeping with our mission, 12 percent are entering family medicine, which exceeds the national average of 7 percent. They possess the skills and instincts to interview, diagnose, conduct research and perform at the highest level and under the most stressful circumstances.

This was made possible through early clinical exposure in the Medical Student Home Program, an award-winning national network of partnerships and affiliated institutions, and four years of student advising designed to match temperament, skills and goals to the right medical specialty. Even more so, it was made possible by their own dedication and sacrifice.

James Fraser said that he was nervous, “but very ready to open up my envelope” on Match Day. He was ecstatic to see one of his top choices that March afternoon: general surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. “Looking back at all the hard work, I really loved medical school, but I am ready for the next step,” he said.

Commencement isn’t an end, but a beginning. This is a day to commemorate the hard work and sacrifice our students put in over the last four years, and look ahead with excitement to the career that awaits them. When they walk off the stage, they are more than the pair of letters that accompany their names.

They are pioneers, forging the path for generations of doctors to follow — and deserve to be celebrated.