WCU Magazine Summer 2025

Each year, John Brignola '83 and his daughter Jacqueline (Jacqui) Brignola M'21 make time to reflect on what West Chester University students need and decide where they want to direct their support. Causes are considered carefully because the Brignolas believe giving should have a real and lasting impact.

The tradition started with family meetings when Jacqui was in high school. John would present a pie chart, and Jacqui would allocate percentages to causes the family cared about.

I wanted my children to be engaged in our giving. Over the years we’ve tried to ensure the donations are more impactful.

 

Over time, this practice evolved into a unified family commitment to make their philanthropy thoughtful and effective.

“I wanted my children to be engaged in our giving,” John said. “The idea was for them to think about how influential that contribution could be to the organization that they chose. Over the years we’ve tried to ensure the donations are more impactful.”

One of their most meaningful commitments has been to the Unpaid Internship Fund at WCU, a donor-driven initiative created to eliminate a barrier many students quietly face. In fields like social work, education, healthcare, and counseling, internships are often mandatory but unpaid. For low-income or self-supporting students, this can make it nearly impossible to participate without sacrificing work hours or incurring debt.

Jacqui witnessed this reality as a clinical mental health counseling graduate student.

“I had friends who were having a really hard time with unpaid internships on top of part-time jobs and full-time school,” she said. “It was a huge barrier to entering the field. I feel like we lose so many talented nurses and therapists just because they don't have the finances or the background to do both.”

The Unpaid Internship Fund steps in where paychecks fall short. The fund provides stipends or scholarships of up to $2,000 per semester to help students cover the cost of credit-earning internships or offset living expenses. What started with a goal to support 10 to 15 students per year has far surpassed expectations. By its fourth year, 169 students had already benefited, which was well ahead of the original five-year benchmark.

Recipients come from a wide range of disciplines, including public health, education, music, business, and social work. For many, this support is transformative.

One education student said the stipend offered “relief ” as they completed their student teaching requirements. Another psychology student said the fund allowed them to reduce hours at a part-time job and focus on academic and professional growth.

The Brignolas’ support of this fund is a direct reflection of their values. They shifted their giving from other University initiatives that received alternate funding after learning that unpaid internships were a bottleneck to graduation and success for many students. “Shifting to unpaid internships was where we could be the most supportive,” John said.

This commitment to thoughtful, collaborative philanthropy sets the Brignola family apart. It’s a model of intergenerational giving where the ultimate goal is to open doors for the next generation of students, just as WCU once did for them.

That next generation isn’t far behind, either. With Jacqui expecting her first child, the next family-giving meeting around the table will probably include a high-chair.

“We'll teach her all about charitable giving from the very start,” Jacqui said with a laugh.