Tuesday, May 6, 2025
  Happenings, Around Campus

By News and Internal Communications

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – MAY 6, 2025 – Soon-to-be physicians of the Class of 2025 will celebrate a major milestone – graduation – during the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Commencement on Saturday, May 10.

The ceremony, taking place from 5-7 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg, marks the culmination of four years of medical school and the transition from students to physicians for 50 graduates. 

To date, more than 200 medical students have graduated from the UTRGV School of Medicine, and embarked on residencies in the Rio Grande Valley, across Texas and nationwide. Many have matched with prestigious residency programs, including Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard, Duke University Medical Center, Cornell Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Stanford Health, UT Southwestern Medical School and UT Austin Dell Medical School, and others.

For Victoria Jacobsen, who will be leaving the Rio Grande Valley to California for a pediatrics residency at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, formerly Children's Hospital Oakland, said her time at UTRGV has been transformative.

“The past four years of medical school have shaped me in ways I didn't know I needed shaping. This journey has truly transformed me into a more passionate, skillful and cognizant person,” Jacobsen, from The Woodlands, Texas, said.

Dr. Everardo Cobos, interim dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine and Oncology, said the ceremony stands as a testament to the School of Medicine’s role in cultivating the next generation of healthcare leaders and addressing the physician shortage in the state and region.

“We are immensely proud of the Class of 2025 and are elated to witness the impact they will make transforming the health of the Rio Grande Valley and beyond,” he said. “For many students, the journey to graduation has included both great experiences and challenges. Commencement reflects their perseverance and hard work. The Class of 2025 is ready to embark on the next chapter of their medical careers.” 

Nura Salhadar, a Valley native from Brownsville, is confident that she and her classmates will make a meaningful impact on society thanks to the education they received at UTRGV.  

“The UTRGV School of Medicine has played a pivotal role in shaping my medical career by offering numerous opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge,” Salhadar said. “I am confident that this new generation of physicians will make a positive impact on society. Congrats, Class of 2025, we did it!” 

To watch the ceremony online or to learn more about the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Commencement, visit UTRGV.edu/SOMGrad.



ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine and a School of Podiatry, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, Weslaco, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015; the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016, and the School of Podiatric Medicine in the fall of 2022.