They waited in eager anticipation as the last ten seconds ticked away.  

Then at precisely noon, Zach Jasper and 91 of his classmates at USC School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG) opened the sealed envelopes before them containing the official letters for where they matched for residency programs.  

It is a defining moment for the fourth-year medical students in their long journey to become a future physician. Over the course of four years of medical school at SOMG, Jasper, a Furman University undergrad graduate and the 2024 Paladin Scholar, set his sights on becoming an emergency medicine physician. And, on Friday, March 15, he learned that a residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Emergency Medicine will provide a challenging, hands-on setting over the next three years where the can push himself to that next level — “to become the best physician I can be.” 

The journey leading up to Match Day is a rigorous one for SOMG students. Many hours of research have been performed, many questions asked, and many career decisions made. Furthermore, a rigorous process of residency program interviews and mutual rankings based on preference precede the emotion of the day.   

“All of the hard work has paid off,” said Jabbarrius Ervin, who matched in the psychiatry residency training program at George Washington University.  

In keeping with a long-standing tradition that unfolds simultaneously at medical schools from coast to coast, SOMG students opened their envelopes and read the official match letters inside, the culmination of years of anticipation, persistence and hard work.  

“These future physicians have been called to this profession, and through countless hours of clinical training and classroom study, preparation and innovative research, they have already shown their commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of families and communities in South Carolina, and beyond,” said SOMG Dean Marjorie Jenkins. “They have shown curiosity and commitment to others of the highest degree. They now take the next important step in their journey to becoming future physicians.”  

The M.D. class of 2024 at SOMG achieved a 99% placement rate.  

SOMG’s class matched in 20 specialties, with 25% focused on internal medicine.  

Students are headed to residency programs from Oregon Health & Science University to Walter Reed Medical Center, and many points in between — with 20 students staying right here in South Carolina for residencies including Prisma Health in Greenville and Columbia, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and Self Regional Healthcare.  

 
Click here to see the full list of where SOMG students matched. 

Each journey is different.  

But there is one commonality: Match Day was both a moment to celebrate the previous four years’ hard work and a commencement of the next phase, as these physicians of tomorrow continue on to their advanced training. In this moment, they learn where and in what specialties they will train over the next several years.    

Kirsten Pesayanavin will embark on an opportunity to focus on her interests in rural health and improving health care in resource-limited areas. “I look forward to interacting even more with patients and making an impact in their lives,” Pesayanavin said shortly after she learned she matched at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, South Carolina, a three-year residency program. “This is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life. I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was 10.” 

Fellow classmate Kip Callahan will undergo training and gain experience in providing eye care and performing delicate eye surgery. “I am so excited to make decisions and to take care of people’s eyes,” said Callahan who matched at USC School of Medicine Columbia in Ophthalmology.  

Aaron Dunn learned he matched at Walter Reed Medical Center, in the National Capital Consortium General Surgery. He believes his training and education at SOMG has prepared him for the rigors of the surgery program that trains military health care providers to be effective leaders throughout their careers.  

Caroline Wilson matched at Dayton Children’s Pediatrics. “I love working with children of all ages,” Wilson said. During the next phase of her career, she hopes to be able to be able to incorporate lifestyle medicine in preventative care for children.   

On a gray, dismal afternoon, SOMG students left the Match Day celebration looking ahead to a bright future. “It has been an honor to see them grow into the physicians they will become,” said Dean Jenkins.