School of Medicine Columbia, School of Medicine Greenville students looking forward to residency
Posted on March 15, 2021; Updated: March 15, 2021
School of Medicine Columbia and School of Medicine Greenville students answer what Match Day means to them, as well as what they hope to accomplish in the future.
Name: Travis Hawkins, School of Medicine Columbia
Hometown: Myrtle Beach, SC
Graduation Institution: College of Charleston Honors College
Intended Specialty: General surgery
Why / how did you select the desired specialty?
I’ve always loved working with my hands and being able to manipulate what’s in front of me to find a solution. I think this is due to the fact that I grew up working in a carpentry shop and always had jobs that required me to work with my hands, either as a janitor or stevedorer in Charleston’s marinas. After I fell in love with medicine, surgery was the next obvious choice.
What does Match Day mean to you?
It represents the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and experiences that led me to this point. I’m also couples that match my fiancee and classmate, Alyssa Holden, so Match Day means we’ve found the place where we’ll start our lives and careers in medicine.
Name: Aaliyah Keels, Greenville School of Medicine
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Graduating institution: Wofford College
Intended specialty: OBGYN
Why / how did you select the desired specialty?
I look forward to practicing general OBGYN in an underserved area, with a focus on health disparities and the care of black patients. I also hope to someday create a mentoring program for underrepresented minority students who are interested in going to medical school.
What does Match Day mean to you?
As a first generation graduate and medical student, I look forward to celebrating Game Day with my parents and close friends. I’m also excited to see where all my colleagues end up matching!
Name: Sarah Mae Lammert, Columbia School of Medicine
Hometown: Greensburg, PA
Graduating institution: Bachelor of Health Sciences from Furman University; Bachelor of Nursing from Duquesne University
Intended specialty: Anesthesiology
Why / how did you select the desired specialty?
Before medical school, I worked as a registered nurse. My last position as a nurse was in the inpatient recovery room, where I fell in love with perioperative medicine and started thinking about becoming an anesthesiologist.
What does Match Day mean to you?
Match Day is both a beginning and an end, very bittersweet in a sense. I will finally have some certainty about where I will be after graduation, but it also represents the end of my medical school journey.
Name: Zalak Shah, Columbia School of Medicine
Hometown: Camden, SC
Graduating institution: University of South Carolina
Intended specialty: Internal medicine
Why / how did you select the desired specialty?
I decided to do Internal Medicine after completing my IM rotation in the third year. I love the medical complexity of all patients and being able to piece the puzzle together from their acute presentations while building some meaningful and long-lasting relationships. In addition, the opportunity to further specialize after residency is a huge appeal. In short, it was everything I was looking for in a career!
What does Match Day mean to you?
Since the beginning of my medical school journey, this day has been a source of great excitement (and nervousness). It is a day when my colleagues and I can celebrate our achievements, including all the intellectual and personal growth we have had in recent years. Personally, it means a lot to be able to spend the day with my friends and family, who have been supporting me so much on this journey!
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Topics: Students, Medicine (Columbia), Medicine (Greenville)