Nuvision Heroes: A team member who leverages her expertise to help students in need

Since our Senior Fraud Analyst Sarah Spires joined Nuvision nearly eight years ago, we’ve seen how she makes a difference in the lives of others. Along with generously sharing her knowledge with those who need it most, Sarah leads a busy life as the mom of three boys and spends many off-work hours volunteering in the community.

Sarah consistently finds ways to apply her time, resources, and know-how to improve the lives of others. That’s why we chose her as this month’s Nuvision hero.

Leveraging experience and specialized knowledge to help the most vulnerable.

Sarah’s day-to-day work plays a vital role in ensuring our members’ security.

“What I like is that no day is the same,” Sarah said. Some days, it’s getting to the bottom of a fraud case or investigating identity theft. Other days, it’s hard to know what to expect.

Four years ago, Sarah's team discovered skimmers placed on ATMs over the 4th of July weekend. Her team worked directly with the Secret Service, helping them track down the criminals and ultimately making two arrests that led to the take-down of a large fraud ring on the West Coast.

Still, the most rewarding project Sarah has worked on was one she spearheaded: a presentation aimed at teaching local students how to spot and protect themselves from social media fraud, which teenagers are at a greater risk of experiencing.

Initially, the idea was to give the presentation at a local high school. But Nuvision’s partnership with Robyne’s Nest, an Orange County non-profit that serves at-risk kids by providing essential services and educational resources to help them launch successful adult lives, provided a perfect opportunity to serve students who really need the help.

The experience of presenting this information to the 20 kids who joined was, Sarah said, “phenomenal.”

“These kids need this type of information the most,” she said. “They were very present, involved, and thankful.”

Sarah and the Risk Management team will return to Robyne’s Nest in March for a follow-up presentation, focusing on the same topics with a new group of kids. She hopes to make the presentation a regular occurrence, bringing in information on new fraud scams as they evolve and helping more kids who come through the program.

Three kids and a job haven’t kept Sarah from community service.

Sarah has been active in community service for nearly 20 years. While in college, she started volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit that provides a place to stay and the comforts of home for families who relocate to take care of sick children.

Initially, Sarah was pushed to volunteer by others, but she soon fell in love with the organization and the way it enabled her to serve those in need. With a fresh enthusiasm for community service, Sarah later took on another role: volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA).

As part of the program, Sarah volunteers to speak on behalf of children who have experienced abuse. She works with the child, parents, and other involved parties, reporting her findings to the court by giving an opinion on the case.

The experience can be emotional. After having her own kids, Sarah said she had to stop for a time. But, recognizing the importance of giving hurting children a voice, she eventually returned. Seeing the impact her efforts have—how they can improve a child’s situation and let them know somebody is in their corner—is worth the difficulties.

Sarah’s committed care for others is a model for us at Nuvision.

We’re so grateful for team members like Sarah whose desire to impact others for good motivates everything they do, extending beyond their jobs and into their personal lives.

Sarah’s enthusiasm for ensuring students understand the dangers of social media fraud propelled the presentation into success. It’s encouraging to see people who want to use their work experience and knowledge to improve the lives of others.

Thank you, Sarah, for your dedication to our community and members!