05/28/2026
Class of 2026
A frightening childhood bout of the flu that sent Christina Sarkes to the hospital in the middle of the night sparked an interest in medicine at only eight-years-old.
“All I remember is how kind the doctors were,” said Sarkes, 21, who grew up in West Orange. “That stuck with me. What began as a moment of fear became the beginning of a lifelong ambition.”
The daughter of Egyptian immigrants is working to become the first physician in her family. She graduated this week from Rutgers University-Newark at the top of her class with a 3.9 GPA, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States.
While medicine is her number one goal, Sarkes—who graduated with minors in music and chemistry—has a story that goes beyond science. A dedicated flutist since third grade, she has carried her love of music into college, performing with the NJIT Wind Ensemble. Music, she said, offers a balance in what can often be a stressful environment. After recently discovering literature on how music can be used as medicine, Sarkes, the recipient of the Kimler Endowed Scholarship awarded to a full-time students pursuing a career in music through the department of Visual and Performing Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, has begun exploring how the arts might intersect with healing in her future career.
“I’d love to see how music can play a role in patient care,” she said. “I think there’s something powerful there.”
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