Jessica Sparks
Jessica Sparks ’18 will be the student speaker for the commencement scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. She is graduating with a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UA and was a Williams College Honors Scholar.
Q: In which campus activities were you involved?
A: Before I started my undergraduate studies, I was actually a post-secondary student – so my time at The University of Akron began when I was only 16 years old. When I was an undergraduate, I worked as a New Student Orientation Leader and a New Roo Weekend Leader. I was also active in the Student Nurses Association. Once I began my graduate studies, I worked for two years as a clinical instructor for the undergraduate nursing students, where I developed a true passion for academia. While in anesthesia school, I served as a senator for the Graduate Student Government, where I was able to partake in shared governance and student representation. For my anesthesia cohort, I also served as the student representative, which meant I organized social events, volunteered to teach on lab days for first-year students and supported communication between my cohort and faculty. I also worked for a semester as a research assistant to Dr. Tim Meyers and Dr. Jeffrey Pellegrino, developing novel personal protection equipment (PPE) for health care workers.
Q: What campus honors or awards have you received?
A: During all four years of my undergraduate experience, I received the Presidential Scholarship Award and maintained Dean’s List, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the Honors College. During my graduate experience, I was awarded the Volunteerism and Service Award from Graduate Student Government. In my field of anesthesia, I also received two highly competitive national scholarships from our governing body, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). Additionally, I was selected through the Delta Omega (UA Sigma Chapter) to attend the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. There, I got to speak directly with legislators to advance funding and policy for nursing.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I have accepted a job as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at Aultman Hospital in Canton. I plan to take my first trip to Europe in the fall, visiting Italy and Spain, and hope to start a family. I also really want to buy a Ford Bronco. I think I have earned it!
Q: What is your favorite memory of UA?
A: I have so many incredible memories of The University of Akron that it is hard to pick just one. I absolutely loved working as an Orientation Leader! Part of what made this experience so fun was that I was actually still a senior in high school at the time, because I was a UA post-secondary student, so I was the Orientation Leader for students in my own class. I made so many friends this way and it gave me such a love for and deep connection to our beautiful campus that I may not have otherwise had. During my graduate experience, my favorite memories were absolutely our lab days, when we learned hands-on skills like how to intubate, insert central lines, perform spinals and epidurals, and even how to perform tracheostomies on cadaver pig tracheas!
Q: What unique things should we know about you?
A: I was a registered nurse for seven years before graduating from anesthesia school. I worked in a Level 1 Trauma intensive care unit (ICU) for five of those years, and throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic. My first day after my orientation in the ICU was the first day my unit got a COVID patient, and all I knew for two straight years was how to care for critically ill COVID patients. Some other unique things about me are that I basically have my own mini zoo with three dogs and two cats so the house is definitely full, and that I also have a huge passion for photography. Before I started anesthesia school, I created an LLC and had my own photography business for two years, shooting weddings, lifestyle and family portraits. I still enjoy taking photos for my friends and family, and hope to get back into it after I graduate.