Sarah Svoboda of Lexington, Neb., has been elected Student Senate president/student regent at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Svoboda, a third-year medical student, will begin her one-year term in January. Svoboda is the daughter of Robert and Gwen Batcher of Lexington. She is married to Darrell Svoboda of Lexington, also a third-year medical student at UNMC. He is the son of Darrell and Trudy Svoboda of Lexington.
In her role as student regent, Svoboda will serve as the voice of the student body, presenting the regents with student views on campus issues such as tuition increases and building changes. She has previously served as a student senator and vice president of the Student Senate.
The Student Senate also encourages students to get involved with community education programs. Last year, Svoboda was a co-coordinator of TAR WARS and DOC TALKS, two anti-tobacco programs aimed at educating fifth- and sixth-grade students about the medical dangers of tobacco use.
No matter what role she is fulfilling, Svoboda hopes to keep students aware of what is happening around them, and interest them in taking part in what UNMC has to offer. “When you’re in medical school, you have a tendency to focus only on that. However, it’s important to remember that there’s more to life than classes and studying,” Svoboda said.
Svoboda is a 1990 graduate of Lexington High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1994 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.