No patient should have to wait to be understood
SOLVING A CRISIS I SAW AS AN EMT
In an emergency, a few words can make someone feel a little less lost. ASL4Responders is a free learning platform to help first responders and healthcare professionals bridge those first communication gaps through 125+ short, practical ASL and Spanish resources built around real patient encounters
STUDENT-LED. CLINICALLY GROUNDED. BUILT FOR THE MOMENTS BEFORE COMMUNICATION BECOMES URGENT
125+
Practical Learning Resources
7
Stages of Patient Care
2
Languages: ASL + Spanish
3
Learning Formats
$0
Cost to Access
THE PATIENT ENCOUNTER, STEP BY STEP
Explore by stage of care
Start with the phrases needed for each part of a patient encounter.
Connect
Introductions and preferred language — What language do you prefer?
Understand
Symptoms, medications, allergies, history — What medications do you take?
Check Vitals
Blood pressure, pulse, oxygen — The cuff will get tight.
Assess Pain
Location, onset, severity — Where does it hurt?
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Prepare
Exams, tests, procedures — I will explain first.
Follow Up
Medicine, referrals, questions — What questions do you have?
G100 WEBINAR SERIES
ASL4Responders in conversation
Watch two discussions on bridging communication gaps during the first critical moments of care.
The Founder
Samika Agarwal
I’m Samika Agarwal, a high school senior, certified EMT, biomedical researcher, and aspiring hematologist-oncologist. My interest in medicine has grown through very different experiences, from responding to calls and volunteering in hospitals to studying cancer biology and disease pathways through research.
Across all of them, I’ve come to believe that good care starts with making sure a patient feels heard. My goal with ASL4Responders is to help Deaf and Spanish-speaking patients feel less isolated in moments that are already frightening, and to encourage a kind of healthcare where communication, dignity, and understanding are treated as part of the care itself.
MY CLINICAL EXPOSURE
Medicine, seen from the bedside, ambulance, and exam room.
Across hospital units, emergency response, and physician shadowing, I learned how clinical judgment, teamwork, and communication shape every patient encounter.
3 Largest NJ Hospitals
300+ Volunteer Hrs
60+ Shadowing Hrs
50+ Squad Shifts
Hospital Care
JFK Medical Center
Screening & Imaging
Helping patients navigate rooms, screening, and follow-up with clarity.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Rapid Decision Unit
Supporting observation-unit patients through mobility, supplies, and discharge.
Perth Amboy Medical Center
Emergency Department
Supporting triage flow, repeat vitals, and treatment-room readiness.
Emergency Response
Care begins before the hospital doors
As a certified EMT with the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad, I have cared for patients by taking vitals, gathering histories, assessing pain, and helping support them through the first moments of an emergency. Those calls showed me how much trust and communication matter before a patient ever reaches the hospital
Those first moments inspired ASL4Responders
Physician Shadowing
Internal Medicine + Dentistry
Shadowing let me see how physicians moved from a patient’s story to a decision, whether that meant managing a chronic condition, choosing a referral, interpreting a radiograph, or preparing for a procedure.
It made medicine feel less like a series of answers and more like learning how to ask the right questions.
MY RESEARCH JOURNEY
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From genetic variation to the future of cancer care
My research has progressed from asking how mutations disrupt cellular function to investigating how cancer therapies can become more precise, durable, and patient-centered.
200+
SYMPOSIUM AUDIENCE
5,000+
Word paper + thesis defense
20+
STUDENTS MENTORED
$1.5k
RAISED FOR CANCER RESEARCH
01 — FOUNDATION / GENETIC MECHANISMS
TERT + TERC Mutations
COMPLETED • FOUNDATION PROJECT
Used ClinVar, NCBI, and RNAfold to study how mutations in TERT can reduce telomerase activity and how TERC variants can alter RNA folding and stability. This project introduced me to connecting a genetic change to what it can actually do at the molecular level
Presented findings to 200+ students and 15+ faculty members
FROM MUTATION → MECHANISM
02 — DEEPENING / CANCER IMMUNOLOGY
Cancer Vaccine Research
Mentored by Dr. Damian Turner, Williams College
Authored a 5,500+ word research paper analyzing 27 experimentally tested HLA-A*02:01 neoantigens in triple-negative breast cancer to ask what makes a mutated peptide more recognizable to T cells. Compared mutation position, mutant versus wild-type binding, and biochemical change
Accepted to the 2026 ISCB Great Plains Bioinformatics Conference
FROM PEPTIDE BINDING → T-CELL RECOGNITION
03 — INTEGRATION / ONCOLOGY THESIS
Oncology Research + Thesis
Mentored by Dr. Kate Wilwohl, University of Mississippi
Wrote a 5,000+ word research paper using gene-expression and drug-response data from 245 primary AML specimens to study whether ferroptosis-defense pathways were linked to venetoclax sensitivity.
Thesis Defense Presented
FROM CELL-
DEATH BIOLOGY → PRECISION TREATMENT
04 — MENTORSHIP / SHARING RESEARCH
Student Research Mentorship
Hosted Symposiums for Student Presentations
I mentored student projects on TP53-mutated myelodysplastic syndromes, CRISPR/Cas9 approaches to leukemia, and temporomandibular joint disorder, helping students refine their questions, work through scientific literature, and prepare their findings for presentation.
Organized many student research symposiums
FROM DOING RESEARCH TO HELPING OTHERS FIND THEIR OWN QUESTIONS
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WHY ONCOLOGY?
The research became personal at the point of care.
At JFK Breast Care Center, supporting patients through screening and imaging follow-up gave every research question a human context: behind each pathway is a patient waiting for clarity.
PATIENT EXPERIENCE→ RESEARCH PURPOSE
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP
Making research more accessible.
As President of the Biocomputational Research Club, Samika teaches source evaluation, literature reviews, BioRender, RNAfold, and MATLAB—and helped organize 20+ student research presentations.
RESEARCH ADVOCACY
Funding the questions that matter
Through Stars for Survivors, Samika transformed survivor stories into a campaign that raised $1.5K for the American Cancer Society.
MY LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
2,100
Books for Global Literacy
200+
Delegates Hosted
50+
Community Service Initiatives
400+
Students Reached
Leadership that turns representation into action
Across culture, service, and advocacy, I lead by listening first—then building programs that help more people participate.
BELONG
SERVE
ADVOCATE
BUILDING BELONGING
Representation should be felt—not simply celebrated
National Honor Society — President
Led STEM tutoring, freshman orientation, and a schoolwide book drive.
Culture & Diversity Club — President
Expanded heritage celebrations and Women’s History Month programming.
Spanish Honor Society — Treasurer-Elect
Tutored Spanish students and led literacy and shelter service projects.
Seal of Biliteracy / Spanish • ASL II / Developing Proficiency
SERVICE THAT SCALES
From one learner to an entire community
Senior Girl Scout
Sustained service across health, culture, and community care.
25+ Projects
SEWA Youth Lead
Led hunger relief, elder care, and environmental service
50+ Initiatives
Kumon Learning Mentor
Tutored Spanish students and led literacy and shelter service projects.
100+ Students
SEWA Service Award • 100+ Hours
ADVOCACY WITH A VOICE
spreading awarenes
Model United Nations
Vice President • Conference Host
3× Honorable Delegate
WAMSMUNC: Grew 80 → 200+ Delegates
Holocaust Education Ambassador
Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation
Scaled survivor-family testimony to 400+ student assemblies.
HONORS & ACCOLADES
Recognition across medicine—and beyond it.
A diverse portfolio of achievement encompassing clinical innovation, competitive excellence, global diplomacy, scholarly writing, and academic rigor.
MEDICAL + STEM
Healthcare distinction.
DIAMOND CHALLENGE — SEMIFINALIST
Selected from 700+ teams • Healthcare venture addressing hospital readmissions
HOSA MEDICAL COMPETITION HONORS
1ST PLACE — DENTAL SCIENCE • 4TH PLACE — DENTAL TERMINOLOGY • 4TH PLACE — PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
CLINICAL + TECHNICAL CREDENTIALS
SILICON VALLEY CODING CHALLENGE / TOP 5%
OSHA / 10-HOUR HEALTHCARE CERTIFICATION
AHA / BLS PROVIDER CERTIFIED
ACADEMIC + LEADERSHIP
Achievement beyond the clinic.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Princeton Honorable Delegate • Global Citizens Best Delegate
COLLEGE BOARD RECOGNITION
National Recognition Award for academic excellence
MATH LEAGUE
Repeated top school / New Jersey scorer
WRITING + PUBLICATION
Scholastic Honorable Mention • Live Poets Society of NJ
SEAL OF BILITERACY
Advanced proficiency in Spanish and English
ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Consistently maintained high honors across all semesters.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Past and Upcoming Events
Join our practical training sessions designed for first responders. Learn essential ASL and Spanish phrases for critical patient care moments. View details below to register.
Upcoming Events
G100 Webinar: The Story Behind ASL4RespondersFri, Jul 31Zoom
Voices That Save LivesFri, Aug 07Zoom
ASL4Responders: Emergency Communication Training & Live DemoThursday, July 16, 2026Scotch Plains Rescue Squad
Holocaust Remembrance AssemblyFebruary, 2026Woodbridge Academy Magnet School
WAMSMUN Model UN ConferenceDecember, 2025Woodbridge Academy Magnet School
Sandwich Donation Service ProjectFebruary, 2026Woodbridge Academy Magnet School
INSIGHTS & RESOURCES
Latest Blog Posts
Some questions begin in a lab; others begin in a hospital room, a history book, or a community. This blog is where I trace the connections between them and explore what they reveal about health and humanity
GALLERY oF eVENTS
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LET’S CONNECT
Let’s build care people can understand.
Reach out regarding ASL4Responders, language-access training, or research collaborations.
GET IN TOUCH
Choose a way to connect.
Open to collaborations, speaking engagements, and research inquiries focused on language access in healthcare.
asl4responders@gmail.com
YOUTUBE