When Genesis Lambert opened her Match Day envelope, her hands were trembling. It had been weeks of anticipation, a slow build of anxiety and hope that came to a head in one cathartic moment she’ll never forget.
As she held the match letter in her hands in a room full of her peers, all waiting to open letters to determine their fate, her chest tightening as she held her breath, Tara Lowe, student affairs director, began the countdown from ten to one, which brought a recurring thought: Don’t rip the letter!
THREE… TWO.. ONE. Her eyes raced across the page as she hurriedly scanned the words that held her fate for the next three years.
“I looked up at my fiancé and barely got my words out— we’re going to Wisconsin!” before erupting in tears,” she recalls. “I genuinely did not expect to match at my #1 ranked program. From the interview day to Match Day, my inner saboteur kept me from daydreaming about Mayo to protect myself from disappointment.”
But the letter didn’t lie. Genesis, a small-town Louisiana native who had spent nearly a decade forging her path through hard work, resilience, and authenticity, had matched at the Mayo Clinic in Wisconsin for a family medicine residency.
“It felt like time stood still,” she says. “Those tears were for the effort, for the people who believed in me, and for finally seeing in myself what they’ve seen all along.”
Local Roots and Lifelong Lessons
Genesis’s story is uniquely rooted in Monroe, Louisiana, where she earned her undergraduate degree in toxicology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at VCOM-Louisiana. However, her education wasn’t limited to the classroom. For years, she also worked as a waitress at Geno’s Italian Restaurant, a local favorite, where she gained insights that textbooks could never provide.
“Waiting tables shaped me as much as any lecture,” she says. “Week after week, I got to know our regulars, sharing in their celebrations, listening to their struggles, just being part of their lives. That connection, that trust—it’s exactly what I want to bring to my future patients.”
It was at Geno’s that she began to see the parallels between serving tables and serving in the medical field. “Both require you to meet people where they are. To listen. To understand that every person who walks through the door has their own story, their own needs.”
That early exposure to deep human connection was a spark—one that burned even brighter during her time at ULM and ignited at VCOM-Louisiana.
A Dual Foundation: ULM and VCOM
Having attended the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) in high school, Genesis was well-acquainted with rigorous academics. At ULM, she found a welcoming home in the toxicology department, where passionate faculty fueled her curiosity and supported her transition from pharmacy to medicine.
“They made complex science feel accessible,” she says. “That’s a skill I hope to emulate with my patients, to explain things clearly, to empower them through understanding. These same faculty members showed unwavering support when I decided to pursue medicine instead of pharmacy school during my final year of undergrad.”
VCOM-Louisiana, meanwhile, gave her the space to embrace her identity as a future physician fully. “From day one, I felt welcomed. I found a place that honored the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—and showed me there’s room in medicine for every personality. That authenticity is a strength, not something to hide.”
She continued, “VCOM’s local presence and continuous advocacy enabled me to give back to the same community that has supported me for the past eight years, while also deepening my understanding of how to meet the diverse needs of future patients. VCOM’s nurturing environment fostered my personal growth and resilience, helping me blossom into a compassionate and capable physician.”
Through service learning, mentorship, and community engagement, Genesis evolved into the physician she is today: compassionate, grounded, and wholly committed to holistic care.
Representing More Than Just Herself
Genesis knows her journey is bigger than just her own. She’s carrying the names of two institutions—ULM and VCOM-Louisiana—into one of the most prestigious health systems in the country.
“ULM gave me the academic footing even to consider this path,” she says. “VCOM helped me grow into a clinician who leads with compassion and community. I hope to reflect both schools well, as a physician who listens, who teaches, and who pays it forward.”
And for those coming from small towns or non-traditional paths, Genesis has a message:
Give yourself a try. It can be scary to leap, especially when you feel like you don’t fit the perfect mold of what you think a future doctor should be. But medicine needs more people who’ve seen life from different angles. I have seen firsthand how individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, rural communities, and diverse life experiences bring essential insight, empathy, and authenticity to the profession. Curiosity, dedication, and staying true to yourself will lead you exactly where you are meant to be.
As Genesis looks ahead to residency, she is eager for the professional and personal growth that lies ahead alongside her future co-residents. The Mayo Clinic’s guiding value, “the needs of the patient come first,” resonates deeply with her, as it aligns closely with the osteopathic philosophy of holistic, whole-body care. She is especially excited to continue refining her osteopathic skills and to learn from others who share her passion for osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Over the next three years, Genesis aims to grow into a versatile family physician who confidently integrates primary care with osteopathic principles and who is well-prepared to pursue further specialization through an osteopathic neuromuscular medicine program.
She encourages those considering a future in medicine to dream big and take the chance. You never know where that envelope might take you.
