12 February 2025

---

ASOD Celebrates Match Day

---

Every year, dental students who are preparing to graduate apply to residencies to further their education. On January 17, many Adams School of Dentistry students found out where they would be spending the next few years of their lives at schools across the nation.

The atmosphere was lively and festive as families and friends gathered to celebrate in the Atrium of Koury Health and Sciences Building at ASOD. Students and their guests were treated to refreshments and got the chance to chat with faculty and staff who had helped them on their educational journeys, including Molina Shah, a DDS ’24 candidate who matched in pediatric dentistry at Columbia University.

“My favorite part of the day was taking pictures with my friends and talking to Dr. [Jessica] Lee. She shared with our peds group how proud she was of us and how we will all stay connected, which really meant a lot to me,” Shah said.

The Match to fill postdoctoral positions in dentistry has operated successfully since 1985, when it was initially developed and organized by the Committee on Residency Education and Training of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Match Day is a great day of celebration, but it can also be a little daunting. Students prepare by applying to individual programs and then interviewing with those in which they are most interested.

Raven Selden, a DDS ’24 candidate, matched in Orthodontics at UNC and was excited by her result.

“Leading up to the results, I had butterflies, but once I saw my match results, I was filled with excitement and joy. I couldn’t stop smiling!” she said.

The recent event was only the beginning of the celebration for these students. John Kwiatkowski III, a DDS ’24 candidate who matched at University of Lousiville, was fortunate to have his girlfriend, Morgan, join him as he opened his email revealing his match.

“We immediately called our large group FaceTime between both our parents and siblings. Match Day, Friday the 17th, was also Morgan’s birthday, and we had already planned a family gathering that Sunday to celebrate both of us,” John said with a smile.

Source: https://dentistry.unc.edu/