What can institutions learn from the successful matriculation of Black medical students? Drawing from doctoral research grounded in Harper's Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework (ADAF), this plenary explores the experiences, strengths, and success-promoting factors that contributed to participants' journeys into medicine through critical narrative inquiry and photovoice methodology.

Rather than focusing on barriers or deficits, this presentation highlights the strengths, relationships, experiences, and institutional supports that shaped students' pathways to medical school. Attendees will examine key markers of successful matriculation, including motivation for medicine, success-promoting experiences, adaptive attributes and skills, mentoring relationships, and access to critical resources.

The session translates these findings into practical strategies for pathway programs, admissions professionals, student affairs practitioners, faculty, and institutional leaders seeking to strengthen mission-aligned recruitment, admissions, mentoring, and student success initiatives. Participants will leave with evidence-informed approaches for applying strengths-based research to institutional practice and building the future physician workforce.