Welcome Class of 2030
Magdalena Coman, Sami Ahmed, Kyra Lynn Nono, and Robert Del Cotto started their first year of medical school at Stritch in July 2026.
Welcome to Stritch, Class of 2030!
Each year, Stritch welcomes a new class of physicians-in-training committed to becoming compassionate clinicians dedicated to providing outstanding patient care. Our newest class was selected from more than 14,000 applications and is comprised of 171 students from 24 U.S. states and territories and 85 undergraduate colleges.
Get to know some of the new M1s and discover what inspired them to become physicians and why they chose Stritch.
Sami Ahmed
Hometown: Northbrook, Illinois
Undergraduate Major: Biology
School: Loyola University Chicago
Before starting medical school: I graduated in 2025 and took a gap year before medical school. My goal over the past year was to maintain a balance between personal growth, gaining clinical experience, and spending meaningful time with family and friends. Looking back, I believe this past year was incredibly rewarding and has better prepared me for the challenges I’ll face during medical school.
Why I chose Stritch: Having completed my undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago, I’ve come to deeply appreciate and resonate with the institution’s Jesuit values. The call to be a person for and with others guided my experiences in college and inspired me to serve vulnerable members of the community. I’m excited to learn how these values can be applied in clinical practice and look forward to carrying them into my own patient interactions throughout my career.
My motivation for wanting to become a physician: My interest in becoming a physician began when I was a patient myself. Despite the pain I was experiencing, what stayed with me most was the physician’s empathy and reassurance. Whether it was making time to answer my questions or treating me as a person rather than just a patient, those moments stayed with me long after I left the hospital. I aspire to provide my future patients with that same compassionate, individualized care as a physician.
Potential specialty/area of focus: I don’t have a specific specialty in mind at this point, but I’m certainly excited about exploring them. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the many fields of medicine, learning from physicians across specialties, and discovering where my skills and passions align best. I plan to keep an open mind throughout my training and ultimately allow my experiences to guide my decision.
Magdalena Coman
Hometown: South Bend, Indiana
Undergraduate Major: Environmental Science with minors in Nutrition and Spanish
School: Saint Louis University
Before starting medical school: I took a gap year full of diverse experiences! I traveled to new places, visited family and friends, and one of the highlights was spending part of the summer in Costa Rica studying sustainable food systems. Back home, I continued volunteering in the pediatric unit at my local hospital while working as a babysitter, in a cafe, and—my favorite—with the county parks. Outside of work, I ran my first marathon, learned how to make sourdough, and appreciated having time to slow down and simply love the people around me.
Why did you choose Stritch: One of my top priorities in choosing a medical school was the community that would surround me, and from both my interview and visit, Stritch felt genuinely welcoming and supportive. That care extends beyond campus through Stritch’s service in the community, something I hope to be a part of during my time here. I was also drawn to the philosophy of cura personalis, or care for the whole person, with its holistic view of patient wellness, ourselves as physicians, and of the communities we serve. An added bonus is exploring Chicago with family and friends close by.
My motivation for wanting to become a physician: Though it may be cliché, I was interested in medicine early on, using my blue doctor bag to “treat” my siblings. But my shadowing and volunteer experiences helped me see beyond that childhood image of medicine. Every time I was in those spaces, I felt excited. My time at Casa de Salud, a clinic serving uninsured Spanish-speaking patients, was especially meaningful. Watching physicians volunteer, build relationships, and offer otherwise inaccessible care showed me medicine was more than a career matching my interests—it was a vocation connecting what I enjoy to what I value and how I hope to serve others.
Potential specialty/area of focus: I have always loved working with kids, volunteering in a variety of settings, and I particularly enjoyed my time shadowing in the NICU. I’m drawn to the opportunity to help this vulnerable population build healthy lives from an early age, which is why pediatrics is appealing to me. However, I am very open to other areas and look forward to finding which specialty I may be best suited for.
Robert Del Cotto
Hometown: Woodridge, Illinois
Undergraduate major: Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Neuroscience
School: Marquette University
Before starting medical school: I progressed from Marquette University to Stritch without taking a gap year. During my undergraduate years, I started a chapter of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) at Marquette with the goal of recruiting young adults into the national stem cell registry to treat patients with various blood cancers. I also advocated for NMDP’s federal legislative goals to improve treatment efficacy and operations. Furthermore, I volunteered and worked in a variety of clinical settings, spending much of my time in the emergency department.
Why I chose Stritch: Beyond the quality of education and ample resources available at Stritch, the Jesuit culture became very intriguing. My prior educational experiences have been influenced by Catholicism and Jesuit culture, and in these environments, there is a warm feeling of serenity within the community. Stritch carries the same feeling across campus and in each person you meet. I also appreciate the emphasis Stritch places on developing your personal character alongside your clinical expertise creating a well-rounded and ethical physician.
My motivation for wanting to become a physician: My motivation to pursue medicine is to heal those within my community while contributing to the rapid advancements in healthcare. I have personal experience witnessing how sickness can affect the patient, their family, and their community. My goal is to improve our healthcare outcomes and make treatment more equitable to enhance the human experience for all.
Potential specialty/area of focus: I am currently uncertain of which specialty to pursue; however, I am considering emergency medicine or a surgical specialty. I enjoy fast-paced hands-on medicine, so I am looking forward to exploring my options as I move forward!
Kyra Lynn Nono
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergraduate major: Health and Human Biology
School: Brown University
Before starting medical school: I took a gap year before starting medical school, during which I worked as a clinical research coordinator at a joint Allergy/Immunology and Dermatology clinical trials center at Endeavor Health. I helped coordinate trials investigating treatments for a variety of conditions, including asthma, chronic hives, and food allergies. I especially enjoyed seeing the tangible impact that clinical research could have on patients as they gained access to new and emerging therapies at no cost and independent of insurance coverage.
Why I chose Stritch: I chose Stritch because its values align closely with my own. I wanted to train at a school that emphasizes caring for the whole person, not just treating disease. Stritch’s commitment to service and community-based care also reflects the kind of physician I hope to become. What ultimately solidified my decision was visiting in person for Interview Day and Second Look. The welcoming and supportive community of students, faculty, and staff left a lasting impression on me, and I knew it was the kind of environment where I could thrive.
My motivation for wanting to become a physician: Growing up in Chicago, I noticed significant differences between neighborhoods, from access to public transportation and grocery stores to healthcare and well-resourced schools. Over time, I learned how deeply a person’s environment can shape their health. I was drawn to medicine because it combines my scientific curiosity with service and advocacy, allowing me to care for individual patients while addressing inequities I witnessed in my own community. I also value making people feel seen and heard, especially in vulnerable moments, and hope to empower my future patients to take an active role in their health.
Potential specialty/area of focus: I am interested in several specialties and am excited to explore them throughout medical school. I am particularly interested in dermatology and hope to learn more about improving the representation of darker skin tones in dermatologic education and care. Asthma also remains a strong research interest of mine, as much of my undergraduate work focused on disparities in asthma outcomes and interventions to reduce the burden of the disease. I am excited to remain open-minded and take advantage of the opportunities at Stritch to explore different specialties before deciding on my path!