The University of North Texas at Dallas celebrated a milestone this week after one of its students became the first to apply and be accepted into medical school via the Joint Admission Medical Program.

In fact, the student, Malik Childs, recorded more than one first, reported Fox 4 KDFW. He is also the first man in his family to graduate from a four-year university — while working two jobs and taking a full load of classes. Malik told Fox 4 that he was “extremely excited” to hear his name called and walk cross the stage.

“It was really just me and my mom and my dad, too. I was back and forth between them whenever I was in high school. Whenever I got to college, it was just me and my mom, really,” Malik told Fox 4.

JAMP was established in Texas in 2001 by the Texas Legislature. Through a partnership between 14 Texas medical schools and 68 public and private four-year undergraduate institutions, JAMP aims to help talented students from low socioeconomic backgrounds fulfill their dreams of becoming physicians through financial support and mentoring. To be eligible, students must be Texas residents and U.S. citizens and demonstrate robust qualifications, including no less than a 3.25 cumulative GPA in critical subjects and achieve at least the state mean score on the SAT or ACT.

The program is funded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which was appropriated $9,696,794 by the Texas Legislature for the 2022-23 biennium.

Malik, who volunteers at The Stewpot homeless shelter, knew he always wanted to help people. His aptitude was noticed by his professors, making him an ideal match for the program.

“I first met him in our organic chemistry class and he was a sophomore at the time, but he was far and away one of our brightest students in the class,” Muhammed Yousufuddin, an associate professor at UNT Dallas, told Fox 4.

Malik’s mother, Melissa Thompson, said watching him complete this important milestone was “overwhelming.”

“We’ve been going through this excitement over him graduating, getting things prepared,” she said, per Fox 4.

Malik is set to begin medical school next month, marking a critical step in his path to becoming a doctor — a career choice inspired by his father becoming ill.

“Seeing doctors and all the other health care team kind of provide good news to families, and I got that same feeling I got whenever I was volunteering,” Malik told Fox 4.