Class of 2025 Match Day speech
Caroline Maltese, student speaker
Good morning classmates, friends, faculty, and loved ones. I am honored to be speaking to you today.
To the class of 2025, congratulations for making it to this day. Four years of hard work, sacrifice, resilience, and dedication have led you here. Despite the excitement or uncertainty that you may be feeling at this moment, I hope that, above all, you feel proud of the transformation that you have undergone and the person you have become.
To the family, friends, and loved ones who are with us today, we would not be standing here without you. Your patience, generosity, love, and support do not go unnoticed. This moment is just as much yours as it is ours, so thank you for giving us the strength and confidence to persevere through this journey.
Finally, to the faculty, thank you for preparing us to take this next step. Your commitment to our personal and professional growth has enabled us to reach our fullest potential. We are proud to represent Penn State College of Medicine and hope to make you proud today.
As we step into the next chapter of our medical careers, I want to take us back to when a lot of our dreams for ourselves first started — to when we were kids.
Maybe you were the child who played doctor with stuffed animals, wrapping Band-Aids around teddy bear paws. Maybe you were the one who asked “Why?” a hundred times a day, endlessly curious about how the world worked.
Maybe you were the one who loved puzzles, who found joy in solving problems. Maybe you were the quiet observer, drawn to the kindness in others and you wanted to give that back.
I remember being told during the first week of medical school that everything that we’d learn here we already learned in kindergarten. Now, I don’t exactly remember the lessons on oligodendrogliomas or choledocholithiasis, but regardless, the sentiment of this statement is true.
Over the past four years, we have learned how to read, deciphering medical literature and putting complex patient narratives together.
We have learned how to write, composing medically accurate and concise notes as well as scholarly articles for publications in esteemed journals.
We have learned how to talk as we have given numerous patient presentations on the wards as well as oral and poster presentations on national and international platforms.
We have learned so many new words, too many to name, some of which I still need help pronouncing.
We have grown in our ability to understand emotion, attending to one heartbroken family who tragically lost a loved one and then quickly transitioning to the patient next door who received news of success of their treatment.
We have even practiced some of our fine motor skills when assisting in the operating room and suturing in the emergency department.
I wouldn’t say we have perfected these skills, but I can confidently attest to the tremendous growth that we have undergone in the last four years. So, classmates, now that we have mastered the kindergarten skills, we are ready to move onto our next lesson: Identity and purpose.
It is here where I must mention Dr. Ray Bignall, a pediatric nephrologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I attended a lecture of his during our first year of medical school and his words had made such a lasting impression on me that I vowed to pass along his message if ever given the opportunity to speak in front of my classmates. Today, I am thrilled to share his wisdom.
There have been many points throughout this experience where it has been easy to feel like you don’t belong; you don’t learn quickly enough, you haven’t studied enough, you are not prepared enough, you are not smart enough. I am here to make you two promises. One, that this feeling will come back again, and two, that despite these thoughts, you are enough. Who you are, as you are, is sufficient.
Your worth does not come from how many research articles that you have published, what score you got on the CardioResp exam, or even what institution is written in that envelope. You have overcome obstacles, failures, adversity and uncertainty and you have made it on the other side.
You have been positioned right on the edge of what you can and cannot do and you rose to the occasion. No matter where you started, no matter your journey, you have what it takes.
Not only this, but you are needed in ways that you may not even realize, and you have a role to play in making a difference. You are needed by the patients who trust you with their fears, their pain, and their hopes. Some will remember your words for the rest of their lives and others will remember the way you made them feel in their time of greatest pain.
You are needed by the teams you will join who will rely on your knowledge, instincts, and compassion. You are needed by the communities that you will serve.
Whether this is a large urban hospital or small community clinic, people need you to be their voice and their advocate. Ultimately, you are needed just as you are with your individual experiences, perspectives, and passions. Do not compromise your interests and your values, because the world needs you.
And lastly, you are next to shape the future of medicine. No matter where we match, we are stepping into a future where we will heal, comfort, and advocate for our patients. We will make mistakes and learn from them, we will face challenges and rise above them, and we will never stop growing. Let the experiences you have had change you and make you more compassionate, more patient, and more understanding.
Step confidently into your role knowing that you have been equipped with all of the tools to make positive change in the world around you. But do not forget the people who were with you on your journey.
Do not forget the friend who helped you fold your laundry during board studying. Do not forget the debriefs with your roommate at the end of a long day. Do not forget the countless calls to your family members for emotional support and perspective. Do not forget the faculty member who was your biggest advocate. Lean on these people, because your success is due to them.
So, as we open these envelopes, let us remember the skills that got us here – the ones that we learned as children and will continue to develop in our professional careers. Remember your identity and your purpose, that you are enough, you are needed, and you are next. Remember that the child who dreamed is still within us—still eager, still hopeful—but now, equipped with the skills, experience, and dedication to make that dream a reality.
Congratulations, everyone! The future of medicine is in our hands, and I couldn’t be prouder to stand among you.
Thank you.