MSW AMPS Up

Grant covers 6 students’ MSW tuition per year

A federal Education Department grant will support new graduate students meeting the grant's eligibility criteria to earn a Master of Social Work degree at Nazareth. Increasing Access to Mental Health Professionals in High-Needs Schools (AMPs Up) — Nazareth’s initiative with the Greece (NY) Central School District — from 2023 to 2027:

  • covers 100% of tuition in the 36-credit, full-time MSW program for six new graduate students per year who start at Nazareth in May
  • provides a stipend for living expenses during a school-based internship in the Greece Central School District
  • includes special professional development, particularly in school social work practice
  • promotes interprofessional collaboration with stakeholders

Who’s eligible?

  • You have, or will have, completed your bachelor of social work (BSW) degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution by May, if you are applying for this year's grant-funded cohort.
  • You apply, and are accepted, to Nazareth's 36-credit, full-time MSW program, which starts classes in May.
  • You seek a career as a school social worker in a high-need school district. (Nazareth's MSW program offers a school social work specialization).
  • You are from a traditionally underrepresented or marginalized group — Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC); Hispanic/Latino/a; LGBTQI+; disabled; from a high-need school district — or you will increase gender diversity in the mental health workforce.

Service obligation

  • After graduation, MSW students receiving this funding must work for two years (paid) as a school social worker in a high-need school district.

Steps to apply

  1. Apply to Nazareth’s 36-credit, full-time, MSW program.
  2. Contact Erin Cole, DSW, LCSW, assistant professor of social work, ecole4@naz.edu, 585-389-2986, York Wellness & Rehabilitation Institute Office 125, to express your interest in this grant opportunity, learn more, and complete the application process.

Deadline

Complete the steps above by March 1.

High-quality preparation

“The students who have come through from Nazareth have really been able to excel and are prepared for the career they’re going to be embarking on,” says Jim Garner, LMSW, district social worker in the Greece (New York) Central School District.

Internship experience options

Your internship can be targeted to your career goals. Among the options in the Greece school district:

  • participate in individual and group counseling
  • support the district’s family support center
  • be part of macro level discussions about putting support systems and processes in place
  • work with students with behavioral concerns
  • support students with autism or communication difficulties
Shaddai_Amore_Simmons poses with schoolwork.

Shaddai Amore Simmons ’23, ’24G

What's next: Hired as a school social worker. "I am most looking forward to inspiring black and brown students to reach their goals as I serve as one of the few black and brown professionals within the Greece Central School District."

A lesson I take from Naz: "Build a community of multidisciplinary support. The relationships developed within this community will sharpen your skills and provide perspective on the situations that you come across."

Jacqueline Torrealba

Jacqueline Torrealba '24G

"The AMPs Up grant has allowed me to have financial freedom for my master's degree. As a Latina woman, I recognize the barriers to access that minority groups have especially as it relates to finances. This grant allowed me to pursue my education towards becoming an LMSW and paved the way for less financial burden on me and my future family."

— Jacqueline Torrealba '24G was hired as a school social worker by Gates Chili Central School District, where she graduated in 2018.

Karlee Cousins poses in graduation cap and gown with a purple stole

Karlee Cousins '24G

"The gift of receiving the AMPs UP MSW grant is a dream come true as a Native American woman. Being part of a population that is heavily underrepresented, education and representation are everything. This grant provided me with the opportunity to get my MSW degree and the support to inspire BIPOC individuals whom I work with. This world needs more Indigenous social workers! Niá:wen Nazareth! "

— Karlee Cousins, LMSW, (pictured in graduation gown) is a certified school social worker in the Rochester area.