Introduction

The SPARC Award (Students Preparing for Academic-Research Careers) provides aspiring researchers and educators in the field of communication sciences and disorders with invaluable opportunities to gain hands-on experience. From teaching and mentorship to conducting independent research and presenting at conferences, SPARC Award recipients expand their skills and explore potential academic career paths. In this blog, past recipients share their experiences, motivations, and advice for future applicants.

The following students provide their perspectives:

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1. What specific teaching and research activities did you undertake during your SPARC Award tenure?

Dani Hu
University of Wisconsin – Madison
For teaching, I did a guest lecture for my mentor’s intro to language class, and worked as a teaching assistant.

For research, I went to the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CSHA) Conference to do a 15-minute student presentation on input variability, led a project that investigated the impact of actor and object variability on verb learning, and networked with researchers at the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders (SRCLD).

Stephanie  Fazio
Misericordia University
Specific teaching and research activities that I completed during my SPARC Award were: presenting a guest lecture at Binghamton University, contributing to a manuscript, learning about different teaching methods, and interviewing current Ph.D students and possible Ph.D mentors.

Vivian Le
The University of Texas at Dallas
For my teaching activity, I was an undergraduate teaching assistant for my mentor’s, Dr. Pumpki Lei Su, child language disorders course. Through this experience, I was a resource that students could use for questions, led lab assignments, and did a guest lecture about culturally and linguistic differences. For my research portion, I created a research project about the attitudes and use of parentese in Mandarin-English bilingual families. I partook in everything that creating and managing a project entails, including collecting observational data and creating coding protocols. I presented two posters and wrote an honors thesis from the project. I ended my tenure by attending the ASHA 2024 Convention, where I was able to meet professionals and attend talks about my interests.

2. What motivated you to apply for the SPARC Award, and how did you first learn about it?

Dani Hu
University of Wisconsin – Madison
While having a meeting about the research project I was helping my mentor with, we were talking about the data we had and talked about what the different factors that impact word learning. In this conversation, my mentor asked if doing a PhD was ever in my plans, and told me about the SPARC award. As a first generation student, I had no idea how to do a PhD in our field, so I agreed to apply for the SPARC award together, and have been passionate about research and teaching since.

Stephanie  Fazio
Misericordia University
I have always wanted to pursue a Ph.D. since the second year of undergrad at Misericordia University. I have been interested in research since I was a junior in high school, so I knew I wanted to go to a university with research opportunities in undergrad and graduate school. When I went to Misericordia, I joined a research team in the spring of my first year and then that mentor, Dr. Reethee Antony, was the one who told me about the SPARC Award in April 2023. As soon as I heard about the award, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to apply because I thought it would give me so many opportunities and set me up with ways to learn about pursuing further education after graduate school.

Vivian Le
The University of Texas at Dallas
I first learned about the award through my mentor, Dr. Pumpki Lei Su. She was a previous SPARC Award recipient and thought it would be a great opportunity for me to advance in my research endeavors. At this point, I was an undergraduate research assistant helping with data collection and coding and had been on the fence on whether I wanted to pursue research as a possible career path. I felt that being able to participate in more independent research would help me figure out if it was right for me.

3. Can you describe the process of selecting your mentor and how their expertise contributed to your SPARC Award experience?

Dani Hu
University of Wisconsin – Madison
I selected my mentor because I was interested in her work with toddlers and child language development, while most of my other professors worked in adult language research. I knew that I wanted to explore doing research, and that I wanted to work with kids, and emailed my mentor out of the blue (I did not yet have a class she taught) to ask to join her lab. Her expertise has been monumental toward helping me understand what the role of a professor looks like, and was very supportive of my ideas and questions, as well as helped me network with many researchers at the conferences we attended together.

Stephanie  Fazio
Misericordia University
I selected my mentors because I have worked with the both of them throughout my time at Misericordia University. I chose to work with Dr. Reethee Antony because she is my main research mentor and the head of the research team I was a part of since my first year of undergrad. She was the one who told me about the award and she has a plethora of knowledge about EEG and neuroimaging. The manuscript I worked on during my SPARC award is based on the first stage of the research I began with Dr. Antony in 2022. I chose to work with Dr. Glen Tellis because he is a wealth of knowledge about Ph.D schools, the Ph.D. process, and has so many connections to people in the field of speech language pathology. He is also the head of the speech pathology department at Misericordia University and has known about my interest in pursuing a Ph.D.

Vivian Le
The University of Texas at Dallas
I was lucky enough to be in a research lab with a supportive mentor who pushed me to try a new opportunity through the SPARC Award. Having gone through the program herself, she was familiar with the application process and timeline. Her interests aligned with mine, and she was able to guide me through the process of creating a research question and pursuing a project. Her guidance instilled confidence in my abilities and pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. I could not have accomplished everything I did during my SPARC Award tenure without her continuous support.

4. What advice would you give to students considering applying for the SPARC Award?

Dani Hu
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Having a clear sighted goal in mind is really important! Knowing where your passions are and what you want to explore will help you write a successful application.

Stephanie  Fazio
Misericordia University
I would advise for other students to take advantage of all of the opportunties they get from the SPARC Award, go to conferences, meet with the Ph.D. programs, and network yourself as much as possible. I would also recommend to choose a mentor who can help you pursue the specific teaching and research goals you want to achieve, and who you collaborate and work well with. My final advice would be to make sure the expectations are set at the beginning for what you want to achieve and accomplish with this award, and to continue to refer back to those goals and expectations as you complete them to ensure you are reaching the goals in a timely manner.

Vivian Le
The University of Texas at Dallas
Start early! Figure out what you’re interested in and how the SPARC Award can further develop your skills. There’s no right or wrong way to utilize the award; you can conduct research, network with other professionals, or help teach a class, to name a few. If you have questions about the application project, reach out to previous awardees or mentors that may have experience applying for similar mechanisms. Keep an open mind; research can span from interacting with participants to doing statistics. Don’t let something you may not excel in or are afraid of stop you from learning and growing.

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For these students, the SPARC Award was more than just a grant—it was a transformative experience that helped shape their academic and professional aspirations. Whether you’re considering a Ph.D. or simply want to deepen your research and teaching skills, the SPARC Award offers a unique opportunity to grow.

Thinking about applying? Take their advice, start early, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way!