Dr. Russell Ledet made history as the only Black man in the country to be matched into a triple board residency program, KPLC reports.

It’s been a trying 16-year journey for Ledet, who worked as a security guard at Baton Rouge Medical in 2010, WDSU reports. According to the outlet, Ledet asked a doctor if he could observe his work in the operating room. The doctor agreed and Ledet spent months following him around the hospital.

Since then, Ledet has raked up several degrees: a Ph.D. in molecular oncology and tumor immunology and an MBA, WWL reports. He’s also currently a student at Tulane Medical School. After graduation, Ledet will head to Indiana University and triple board in pediatrics, adult psychiatry and children and adolescent psychiatry.

It’s an accomplishment that Ledet fought for with tenacity. The ranking test was a challenge for the doctor, but he didn’t let it stop him from reaching his goal.

“I had failed the test you need to pass in order to even rank the school so I had to retake the whole test,” he told KPLC. “I had a close family member die just when I took that test so it made it very difficult to even go back and get the energy to study again and take that test again and I passed just before it was time to submit those rankings.”

Ledet’s extraordinary and well-deserved achievement made match day an emotional one for his family.

“We did it! C’mon man! I’m proud of you, Black man!” Ledet says as he points to himself in the video. “I’m proud of you, Black man.”

“It’s us against the world, and we’re going to win every time,” he adds.

The video shows Ledet drop to the floor as he yelled and screamed for his victory. Later, we see his wife wipe away his tears and his family embrace him.

The soon-to-be medical school graduate has even bigger dreams for the future. According to WWL, he hopes to lend his knowledge to help improve mental health in the Black community.

“A lot of issues we see in our community comes from nobody addressing the fact that mental health is at the forefront of everything we do. So it’s my job to make sure that I’m a lion in the den, and we get the job done,” he told WWL.

Ledet also founded and is the president of The 15 White Coats, a nonprofit organization that works toward improving diversity in medicine, KPLC reports. It offers scholarships, mentorship, other financial support and guidance for Black students pursuing a career in the medical field.

The organization is proud of its president, sharing his match-day success on its Twitter page.

I’M PROUD OF YOU BLACK MAN!” the organization tweeted. “Such a powerful moment and message captured of our President @drrussellledet! Let this be an anthem in every black man’s life!”

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