Penn Med student shares the excitement of Match Day

by Rebekah D. Lucien

Published Mar. 23, 2016, 10:57 a.m. ET

Editor's note: Last week, Rebekah Lucien, who is about to graduate from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote about her path to a career in pediatrics. Today, she writes about the excitement of Match Day, the annual ritual where med students across the nation learn where they will be going for the next stage in their careers.

"I didn't even have to ask where you matched,'' a good friend told me last Friday after we'd all torn open our Match Day envelopes.

"I could tell that was a Seattle scream from across the room,'' she said, referring to my reaction to matching at my first choice residency, Seattle Children's Hospital.

Not only did I scream, I flung my arms in the air so quickly I managed to smack my 6-foot-5 fiance squarely in the face. I didn't even realize this occurred until I watched the video my younger sister recorded. My parents and my fiance's parents looked on, taking pictures. It was a moment I'll never forget, complete with tears of joy streaming down my face.

For me, a California girl, heading back to the west coast will feel closer to home. But my fiancé has always lived within two hours of his New Jersey home. Living far from his network of family and friends will be a new experience, especially for a guy who didn't like talking on the phone when we first met.

From the start of our relationship, I made sure he was open to moving to the West Coast. I asked, "What cities are you willing to move to in the future?" He passed the test by listing cities on both coasts. As we got closer, I explained the match process and I appreciated his openness to following me wherever I matched. "I'm ready for an adventure," he said.

In two months, we say farewell to Philadelphia, at least temporarily, with memories of so many experiences and lessons. Coming here from my home in California was a real cultural lesson. At first I thought people weren't so friendly, as I learned that my California habit of saying hello to strangers on the street was not customary here. Yet, people still looked out for me and made me feel safe.

I was frequently reminded by patients and their family members just how much it meant to them to see an African American physician. During a rotation on the geriatrics unit, a 92 year old African American woman held out her hand to stop me from following my team out of her hospital room. She looked up at me from her chair. "I want you to know that I am so proud of you. Keep doing what you're doing." Her words brought tears to my eyes.

During an Orthopedics rotation, a man asked me questions as the doctor removed his 15 year old daughter's cast. "What college did you go to?" When I told him I went to Stanford, he turned to his daughter. "See? She went to Stanford. You can do it too, baby!"

I affectionately call these experiences my Philadelphia moments. They remind me that only 6.3% of medical students and 5.5% of physicians identify as Black or African American, compared to 13.4% of the US population. Being an example and a mentor to underrepresented communities is a part of the solution.

Living and learning in Philadelphia for the past four years has been an incredible experience. I will spend the next weeks preparing for my wedding next month, packing boxes, and crossing final items off of my Philly bucket list. I excitedly await all that the future has in store, but am happily living in the present, enjoying the end of this stage.