Congrats on Match Day 2021 BDL!!! @simone__nicole YOUR GIRL IS GOING TO BE A DERMATOLOGIST To God be the glory! I am so happy and proud to announce that I will be completing my dermatology residency at my number one choice, at my home program – USC !!! Only THREE PERCENT of dermatologists are Black, and I feel so blessed to be able to join those ranks. I know I shared in a previous post about dealing with nay-sayers, anxiety, and serious imposter syndrome, but THIS RIGHT HERE is the prize after a long journey. Looking back at this interview season, I am still in disbelief at how amazing my experience was. For those that don’t know, dermatology is an extremely competitive specialty, and the average interview number ranges between 7-12. I was incredibly blessed to receive 31 interview invites from seriously amazing programs and ended up interviewing at 17. I share this not simply to celebrate my accomplishments, but more importantly as a reminder to KEEP PUSHING through those difficult classes, to pick yourself up after disappointing tests and setbacks, and to never allow self-doubt to take you out of the game. If I can get here, YOU can too! The best advice I can give is to have faith in God’s plan, lean hard on your family and friends for support, and find amazing mentors who will guide you – and vouch for you – along the way. Can’t wait to pay it forward and mentor the next gen! Thank you to my God and my family for supporting me through my darkest times; and to my friends for keeping me sane! Thank you to all my mentors, with a special shout out to my mentor @skindrnada, without whom I would not be where I am today! My village is so strong and has rallied behind me so many times, and I would not be a physician, let alone a dermatologist, without YOU !!!