George Washington’s Mount Vernon Selects 16 Students for Leadership Program

 MOUNT VERNON, VA – Mount Vernon is pleased to announce the selection of its 2018 class of Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows. This highly selective fellowship is a fully-funded six week summer institute for rising college juniors.

From May 26 – July 6, 2018, sixteen fellows will immerse themselves in a leadership program inspired by George Washington and today's foremost leaders. “This fellowship is designed for high achievers who are respected leaders on their college campuses,” said Mount Vernon President Douglas Bradburn. “As a Mount Vernon Leadership Fellow, they study the qualities that made George Washington an unparalleled leader and incorporate those successful techniques into their own leadership style.”

While living and learning at the celebrated Mount Vernon estate, the students will enjoy exclusive opportunities that surpass the typical Washington, D.C. summer program or internship. They will engage in a vibrant leadership education curriculum and interact with top government, military, corporate and nonprofit leaders. To encourage them to become leaders of action in the mold of George Washington, each fellow will also design a capstone project centered around an issue they are passionate about on their campus or in their community. In conjunction with their capstone, each fellow is matched with a mentor to help support and guide them in their efforts. Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows will also study George Washington’s character, inspirational leadership, and vision, which were all essential to his success as a statesman, entrepreneur, and military leader.

“We are pleased by how the Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows program has developed during its first three classes of 47 alumni,” said Bradburn. “Fellows have adopted George Washington’s bias for action, and leave Mount Vernon invigorated and eager to better their own campuses and communities. Leadership Fellows have created college courses, published books and started nonprofit organizations. As the program grows, we are excited to see the impact these amazing students are having on the world.”

The Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows program is made possible through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein. This year the program attracted more than 900 applicants from 44 states and the District of Columbia. To learn more please visit: mountvernon.org/leadershipfellows.

The 2018 Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows are: 

Avery Allen
Mount Holyoke College
Corvallis, OR

Stephanie Argent
California State University, Long Beach
Dana Point, CA

Summer Asad
DePauw University
Dublin, OH

Elizabeth Boyer
University of Mississippi
Houston, MS

Jordan Cozby
Yale University
Huntsville, AL

Isabelle Harris
Columbia College, Columbia University
Phoenix, AZ

Kaitlyn Lucey
Oberlin College
Massapequa, NY

Clay Martinson
University of Alabama
Huntsville, AL

Amanda Morrison
Temple University
Springfield, MO

Emma O’Brien
East Carolina University
Wake Forest, NC

Onuoha Odim
Duke University
Dallas, TX

Zachary Pate
Clemson University
Granbury, TX

Adam Schmidt
North Carolina State University
Morehead City, NC

Hadley Smithhisler
Monmouth College
Valley City, ND

Benjamin Sorkin
Harvard University
Staten Island, NY

Matthew Winchell
Washington State University
Pullman, WA

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