Sara Sladkova

I am a graduate of Barrett the Honors College at ASU with two degrees in Biological Sciences with a focus on Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, and Psychology. I have graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and I am on a pre-med track currently applying to medical school. I possess experience with patients, with experience in an Internal Medicine clinic as a medical assistant, as well as volunteering with pediatric patients at Hospice of the Valley Ryan House and at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. I worked as a swim instructor with Hubbard Family Swim School and AquaMobile. I also provided private swim instruction to private clients.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Volunteer, 07/2021 - Present

• I engage with the pediatric patients and distract them from the hospital environment by playing games and spending time with them.

Hospice of the Valley (Ryan House), 02/2022 - 02/2023

• I assisted the nurses with basic tasks and patient care, mainly sitting with the pediatric patients and keeping them company.

Swim F.A.S.T. Foundation Volunteer, 04/2014 - Present

• The main goal of the F.A.S.T. foundation was to promote water safely and drowning awareness to the refugee community in AZ., I raised money for a charity swim in San Francisco where I swam from Alcatraz to the mainland, and under the Golden Gate Bridge. The money raised from this event then went into organizing an event where volunteers would come and teach refugee children basic swim skills., Through this volunteering, I learned how to communicate and teach children who spoke little to no English, and was a point of contact for other volunteers, as I had experience teaching swimming.

• Standard First Aid, CPR and AED, LBW Training Center, 09/2023, 09/2025
• PADI Certification, 12/2021
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Certification, 12/2022

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, 01/2024 - 05/2024

• Assisted professor and graduate student in grading and helping students with projects., Point of contact for students with questions about course material in office hours/anything via email, and assisted in classroom by recording attendance, passing out papers and any other tasks required by the professor.

Research in Behavioral Neuroscience and Stress, 01/2022 - Present

• We preform various behavioral experiments using rodents to determine how stress in combination with certain components, such as estrogen, produces a variety of behavioral and physiological responses., Currently, we are working on an Alzheimer’s study with mice, partnering with Mayo Clinic. I was integral part of experiment development, behavioral testing, behavioral scoring, and data analysis. Completed my Honor’s Thesis on a project in the lab.

Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, 04/2024

• Created a poster on my work with the Behavioral Neuroscience and Stress lab, focusing on my honor’s thesis.
• Presented in front of peers and other professionals in the field of psychology.