Students Corner

Match and Mentorship: Reflections from a New Doc

by Aroog Khaliq

As a first-generation student, mentorship initiatives like Cortex were invaluable in getting me to Match Day. This year, I was fortunate to match into internal medicine, and now that April is upon us, I can hardly believe that my medical school journey has come to its end. Just a few years ago, I was an eager premedical student navigating undergraduate education and applying to medical schools! Before that, I was a high schooler unsure how I would survive college generally, let alone organic chemistry.

My parents, though endlessly supportive and caring, didn’t complete their higher education in the United States, and were often at a loss when it came to making the many decisions that paved the path towards a career in medicine. Often, a friend of a friend of theirs would be kind enough to point me in the direction. When that help wasn’t available, I turned towards online sources, where a multitude of opinions prevail—some of them more anxiety-inducing than helpful. The mentors I bumped into along the way provided me with advice and opportunities that were crucial to my achievements. I truly believe that through mentorship and connection, we can make our future health professionals’ journeys just a little bit easier, and through this, make compassionate care more accessible to our patients.

I am so glad that a structured network like Cortex now exists, and I am eager to provide my support to the students of tomorrow in their medical journeys.