Sargent has been an asset to her adopted city of Lynn since coming here from Costa Rica in 1968. The former president of the Lynn Community Health Center is an active member of the Lynn Health Task Force, the Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the United Way and the Salvation Army.

She worked with the Lynn Chamber of Commerce to organize the first Latino Business Association in Lynn and was one of the founders of the Lynn Hispanic Festival.

Since 1997, Sargent has worked in the office of U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, where her knowledge of immigration issues has helped many area families. Prior to that, she served as a lab technician and counselor with Health Quarters in Lynn, and also worked for five years with Reclaim Our Community (ROC), in conjunction with the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development.