Audiology Student Makes History with Federal Internship

University of Oklahoma doctor of audiology student Jayden Sarabia has earned the honor of being both selected to a limited traineeship through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs – which will further research into auditory disorders benefitting veterans – as well as earning the individual honor of becoming the first OU student to be selected in the program’s history.

Sarabia, who is in her second year of the Au.D. program in OU’s College of Allied Health, sees this opportunity, called the T-35 Summer Traineeship and facilitated by the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, or NCRAR, as a continuation of the work she has focused on during her OU career.

“Helping veterans at the VA would be a perfect location for me to contribute the knowledge and skills I have learned over the last four years about hearing evaluations and consultations, hearing aid fittings, tinnitus evaluations and tinnitus retraining therapy,” she said.

The opportunity to work with the NCRAR, an arm of the VA, has always appealed to Sarabia. The traineeship will give her a glimpse of working in the research phase of the field, while crafting her into a better audiologist.

She will collaborate with scientists in the field to research, collect data and, at the conclusion of the program, provide results. Among her responsibilities will be organizing surveys and working with oncologists and their patients, all while gauging their awareness of understanding of ototoxic drugs, or drugs that can damage the ear and cause hearing loss, ringing in the ears or balance problems.

Along with gaining valuable skills, Sarabia sees the traineeship as an opportunity to give back.

“I want to make sure I’m serving the community because they have constantly supported and encouraged me,” she said. “I want the experience of working with the VA because I’d love to serve our veterans.”

Established in 1997, the traineeship is funded by a grant from the National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and administered through NCRAR, which aims to help veterans who suffer from a multitude of problems concerning hearing and balance issues.

Sarabia’s interest in specializing in tinnitus disorders, a condition that causes a ringing in the ears, lends itself to the program’s mission of helping veterans.

According to the Veterans Benefits Administration, over 1.3 million veterans were receiving disability compensation for hearing loss, and more than 2.3 million received compensation for tinnitus as of 2020.

Sarabia, who earned her B.S. in pre-communication sciences and disorders and is on track to graduate with her AuD in 2024, has always had an interest in audiology as well as the research involved in the field.  

“I found my passion in audiology after being immersed in audiology courses [at OU],” she said. “Audiology is a stimulating career academically and has a wide range of versatility where I can serve a multitude of patients. This career will provide me fulfillment throughout my life.”

Sarabia was aware of the T-35 program prior to applying, but never thought she would be able to be a part of it.

The traineeship typically takes place in Portland, Oregon, among other locations across the country.

Despite Sarabia’s interest in this opportunity, the distance required caused hesitation in her desire to apply because she wanted to stay close to her family.

“It sounded really cool, especially if you’re an Au.D. student considering a Ph.D.” Sarabia said, who is considering that path after earning her Au.D. “That’s why they have that program. It didn’t align with my lifestyle at the time, having a husband and all my family here – to pack up and move for three months. I thought, ‘Someone else who deserves it can enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’”

Sarabia’s interest in the T-35 program would remain in the back of her mind as she began to carve out a successful career as a student, including serving as president of OUHSC’s Student Government Association.

But after March of 2020, a few things would change.

As a consequence of COVID-19, the program was shifted to an online experience. This was the catalyst, along with positive encouragement from her bosses and mentors at OUHSC, to apply.

“When I consider something, I’m very thorough,” Sarabia said. “I emailed [NCRAR associate director] Dr. Dawn Konrad-Martin, who will be my mentor through this program. We discussed the roles and responsibilities as well as questions I had prepared. Since then, we’ve met a few times.  

“I believe that taking the time to make sure I was a good fit for Dr. Konrad-Martin’s team and showing her that I cared by keeping an open line of communication has made a difference and provide me with a great starting point.

“When I got my acceptance email, I was very honored and surprised,” she said. “To hear no one else has received it [from OU] helped me realize what an honor it was.”

Sarabia will finish the program on August 19 – just before the fall semester begins. In the meantime, she’s excited to take advantage of this incredible growth opportunity.

“I was raised to finish anything I start,” Sarabia said. “My parents instilled this value in me at a young age.”