Make life-enriching, door-opening, and career-enhancing experiences possible. Students Pursuing Academic and Real-world Knowledge (SPARK) grants help cover undergraduate student costs for an unpaid or underpaid summer internship, unpaid or underpaid summer research, or an international experience any time of the year.
Before her senior year, Tavione Griffin interned in the family court bureau of the Monroe County public defender’s office in Rochester, New York. “This internship has been amazing! I work with the attorneys on their cases, and I also work with the caseworkers, shadowing them throughout their day and with the paralegal drafting any motions or settlements,” she says. “My future career goal is to be an attorney, possibly an attorney for the child, which just provides legal services for kids that are within the legal system for family court matters or other situations.”
She adds, “I would love to just know that I made a difference in someone's life — and help them come out of a terrible or difficult situation.”
She chose Nazareth University because she wanted a degree in legal studies (not criminal justice), which is unique in the area. “I really wanted to go into law school feeling as prepared as I could,” she says.
A Nazareth SPARK Grant, which provides $1,500, helped make it possible for her to do the unpaid internship and still pay her bills.
Watch Tavione's story below 
