‘Signing Day’ is for high school seniors as ‘Match Day’ is for medical students. Every year on the same day at the same time, thousands learn their fate regarding the next step in becoming a doctor. Friday morning thousands of soon-to-be doctors across the country found out what reside ncy program they’ll attend after graduation. Every year, anxious fourth-year medical students take a deep breath as they wait to find out if they matched. The much anticipated moment is met with nerves, stress, joy and relief, depending on the outcome. Friday morning inside Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, hundreds of families for 221 student doctors from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, TCOM, waited together for the 10 a.m. reveal. Four years of training was just the appetizer for what’s next, residency, where doctors get their hands-on experience. Getting to this milestone is a stressful process with a lot of work behind the scenes. After many applications and interviews, It all comes down to what’s inside an envelope that will determine the future of each student doctor. “I would say the last four years felt like I’m cooking for 100 people, I have 8 pots that need to cook in four burners, but we got it done,” described Stephanie Elbanna, a student doctor at TCOM who is a Fort Worth native. Every med student has their own story of struggle and triumph while working towards graduation, but Stephanie and her family, have experienced their share of tough times. “We had gone through hard times even when I was a kid. Me and my family lived through the July War in 2006 in Lebanon, and what was my saving grace when I got back was just diving into books, diving into school,” explained Elbanna whose dad brought the family back to the United States. Less than ten years later, while in medical school, her family’s world turned upside down. “I lost my dad in the shooting outside of Costco Business Center in Dallas, and so suddenly we’re dealing with courts and detectives, dealing with being subpoenaed,” explained Elbanna. Her father, 60-year-old Ali Elbanna, was shot and killed during a robbery. Last year three of the four suspects, who were teenagers at the time of the crime, were convicted of murdering her father. They’re spending several decades in prison. A fourth person was convicted of aggravated robbery and received a probation sentence. Elbanna’s dad was a husband, father of five, brother and businessman in Arlington and DFW. His daughter said after his death, she and her siblings had to take over the business to keep supporting her mother. She credits her father and mother for instilling her values and character. “Things we miss most about the people we love is what we end up doing every day. Every time I hold the door open for someone, or I crack a joke, or I help someone figure out how to buy a watermelon at HEB, that’s when my dad is with me working through me. And the same for whenever I have a classmate or a friend who’s going through a really tough time, you know, living real life while trying to navigate the throes of medical school, I felt my dad’s strength and my dad’s kindness,” said Elbanna. While navigating a tragedy, Elbanna continued to go to class every day in med school, studied for exams and worked. “Diving into school after my dad passed, it was hard. I was living in a fog. I was navigating all these different things, but I remember even just sitting during my renal lecture and learning about the nephron. I was like, you know, like, ‘Subhanallah, [Glory be to God in Arabic] like this is the body that God made. Look at this intricate machine down to the minute size, so that reality in my education, it always comes back to me as a saving grace, so I’m grateful,” said Elbanna. She also spent a lot of time helping in the community and giving back to health services for refugees. She said that type of work fuels her. “In moments where it is truly painful, in that moment where you feel like you can’t go on, because I lived that. I watched my world crumble. I want to tell people that we have the tools to rebuild, and if they can’t hold those tools, I’ll hold them with them. I think that’s the beauty of being a physician, is making those hard times, not just bearable, but kind of tilling the soil so that something new can grow,” expressed Elbanna. She said that’s why she wants to be a physician, and on Friday learned after opening her envelope, that she will continue her journey at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, UTMB. “I know that I’m where I’m supposed to be, and I do have faith in God, that God does everything for a reason, and I think that will continue to carry me, so I’m happy,” said Elbanna. Her number one choice was in Fort Worth, to stay close to her mom, but UTMB was her second choice, where she’ll study internal medicine, and is excited for the journey. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m grateful to have, passed this milestone, but part of me is going to miss the classroom and going to miss seeing my classmates, but I know there’s a new frontier for me in Galveston, Texas, and I’m ready to tackle it,” said Elbanna. She gave her mother a big hug after learning of the match. “Everything that is good about me, I’ll tell you now, is because of both my dad and my mom. Positive, kind, humble, good people,” said Elbanna. As she read her letter of acceptance, she said, “Baba [father in Arabic] I’m going to keep doing what you taught me to do, where ever I am, that is what I’ll do,” said Elbanna. She will graduate from TCOM in May and start at UTMB in July. ...read more read less