Bay Path Receives Grant to Help Fund Student Internship Experiences
Longmeadow, MA— Bay Path University has been awarded $5,000 in grant funding support from the Charles H. Hall Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, for their project, “Impacting the Community: Fostering Social Justice Through Student Internships.” The Foundation’s support will benefit Bay Path undergraduate students who are performing internships at nonprofits in Hampden County, including Square One, the Jewish Community Center and Girls, Inc., all of whom service at-risk children and youth.
Bay Path requires its traditional undergraduate students complete a three- or six-credit internship, research project or fieldwork experience, depending on their major, to ensure they have the opportunities to develop the skills and competencies that will help them launch their careers. This funding, which will cover four internships, will help relieve the financial worry that unpaid internships can bring for students. Many Bay Path students hold part-time jobs to make ends meet, and adding an unpaid internship to the mix can be stressful.
"Supporting our students as they perform their required internships not only develops leaders and underlines the importance of giving back to our local community, but also enables students to experience a sense of self-discovery and often personal transformation as they undertake their projects and interface with the nonprofit community," stated Kathryn Wiezbicki-Stevens, Bay Path’s Chair of Undergraduate Psychology and Director of Pre-OT Studies and Human and Health Science Programs,
who oversees the project.
The Charles H. Hall Foundation was established in 2007 to support and promote educational, health & human services, religious, arts & cultural programming for underserved populations.
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About Bay Path University
Bay Path University was founded in 1897. With locations in Longmeadow (main), East Longmeadow (Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center), Springfield (MA), Sturbridge (MA), and Concord (MA), Bay Path’s innovative program offerings include traditional undergraduate degrees for women, The American Women's College on-ground and online, the first all-women, all-online accredited bachelor’s degree programs in the country; over 25 graduate programs for women and men; and Strategic Alliances, offering professional development courses for individuals and organizations. Bay Path’s goal is to give students confidence in the fundamentals of their chosen field, the curiosity to question the ordinary, the leadership to show initiative, and the desire to make a difference.