TCU
Jonathan Balcazar
It starts with a moment. A hush, a heartbeat, a last deep breath before everything changes. For the Class of 2025 at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, that moment came on March 21, when they stood on the field at TCU’s Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium, custom Cracker Jack boxes in hand, about to learn where their medical journey would take them next.
And then — the crack of the metaphorical bat. Cheers erupted, embraces tightened, and the realization sank in: they had done it. A perfect match.
In a feat that cements Burnett’s place among the elite, every single one of the future doctors in the Class of 2025 matched into a residency program — 100% success. But not just anywhere. These Empathetic Scholars landed coveted spots in some of the most competitive medical specialties and institutions in the country: Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and the Mayo Clinic, to name a few.
Instead of the usual white envelopes, students received personalized Cracker Jack boxes. Inside, caramel popcorn and a baseball card with their name, photo, and residency match. Each student walked away with a keepsake bat and ball—reminders of the day they became doctors.
“These medical students chose our school because they believe in more than just the science of medicine,” said Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., the founding dean of Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “They understand the human side, the patient-first approach, and that’s what sets them apart.”
TCU
Lauren Holladay
Match Day is a nationwide rite of passage, a collective inhale-and-hold-your-breath moment for every fourth-year medical student across the country. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) aligns applicants with programs using a computerized algorithm — part science, part destiny. At exactly 11 a.m. CST on the third Friday in March, the results drop. Lives shift instantly.
For Jonathan Balcazar, who matched into Urology at UC Irvine Medical Center, the moment was nothing short of surreal. “Urology is incredibly tough to match into, and I’m so thankful for the support I had at TCU,” he said.
Mireya Rahman, felt the weight of the odds. Only two military residency slots for neurosurgery were available this year, and she landed one at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “There was a lot of pressure,” Rahman admitted. “But I had an incredible mentor during my Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC), and the way TCU structured our electives gave us opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
Dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, ENT — some of the most competitive specialties in medicine. Burnett students matched into them all.
Alejandra Gutierrez, MS-4, secured a dermatology residency at San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) at Brooke Army Medical Center. “My journey has been surreal,” she said, holding her personalized baseball bat, a nod to the day’s theme. “I’m incredibly grateful.”
