Freedom Fellows Program | Benedictine College

The Freedom Fellows program prepares students to create a more humane and just world for the equal dignity of persons by reflecting on high standards of faith, leadership, and community service to create knowledgeable and principled students.

Given the Freedom Fellows program focus on understanding social/cultural dynamics and service to others, preference shall be given to students with a demonstrated academic, social, and personal commitment to those impacted by low-socioeconomic status or involvement in their school, community, or churches.

This program takes into consideration financial standing of students and aims to offer opportunities to those who otherwise would not be able to attend Benedictine College.

Watch this video to learn more about the Freedom Fellows:

Benefits of Becoming a Freedom Fellow

Students named Freedom Fellows attend Benedictine College with a full-tuition scholarship and enter college with a class of six additional fellows in their cohort. Fellows develop friendships with each other, making the integration process to collegiate life easier. Fellows benefit from access to the Program Directors, who act as mentors and are heavily invested in each Fellow’s success.

Having a built-in cohort and mentors will allow Fellows to transition more confidently. Fellows have greater access to high-impact practices like capstone projects, collaborative assignments, diverse learning, learning communities, service learning, and undergrad research, which help students persist at Benedictine.

With upperclassmen leading the way, Fellows in the program support and encourage each other as they overcome the challenges of collegiate life and work to integrate into Benedictine’s culture and community.

Development

Internship opportunities
Opportunities to mentor and be mentored
Alumni engagement
Attending conferences
Development of public speaking and writing skills

Navigating the College Experience

The Freedom Fellows program aims to help students uncover the “hidden curriculum” in college. The hidden curriculum is a collection of unspoken and unwritten rules, values, norms, and behaviors that students are not explicitly taught but often expected to know.

While introducing students to the expectations of college life, they are also encouraged to share their own unique stories, traditions, cultures, and points of view from their backgrounds. Not knowing how to navigate the college experience can make it more difficult to persist.

A group of Freedom Fellows pose for a photo

The Freedom Fellows program supports students to combat the hidden curriculum by:

Helping develop lines of communication between students and professors
Routinely inquiring about students’ needs and concerns
Explaining and practicing notetaking skills, academic reading, studying, test-taking skills, and other skills revolving around completing coursework
Practicing collaboration, group work, and classroom discussion norms
Exposing students to campus resources
Understanding the significance of the liberal arts experience
Encouraging and helping to facilitate their involvement in campus activities

Freedom Fellows Focus

The readings and discussions in the Freedom Fellows program provide an opportunity to learn more about oneself and grapple with the meaning of life and what is true, just, and beautiful. The program allows students to develop skills revolving around selflessness, community relations, self-agency, the importance of education, practical decision making, and choosing love over hate. Some of the key focal points are:

Self-Agency

Assisting students in becoming the agent of their own actions, feeling in control over their lives, and developing the capacity to shape their own path forward.

Critical Thinking

Through readings and media, Fellows discuss complex social and cultural issues with the goal of seeking truth.

Unity, Compassion & Service

Through a series of conversations, Fellows are taught the value of service and the interconnectedness of human nature, resulting in a genuine concern for all of God’s children.

Agape Love

Love in the sense of understanding, empathy, and redemptive goodwill. It is the love of God operating in the human heart.

Practical Requirements & Fellows Formation

In a typical week, Fellows are required to engage in the following:

Meet with Program Director

The purpose of these individual meetings is to discuss the Fellow’s academic progress and journey.

Meet with Assistant Director

The purpose of these individual meetings is to discuss the Fellow’s social integration into Benedictine’s campus.

All-Fellows Group Meeting

Weekly group meetings are discussion-based, where Fellows analyze readings, offer critiques and share deeply held beliefs, learning how individual experiences inform their worldview.

Leadership Role

Fellows are expected to take on a leadership role on campus. Examples: formal roles in clubs, involvement with other programs, Discovery Day projects, roles assisting faculty, residence life, etc.

Study Hall

Fellows attend weekly study hall sessions to practice time management and organizational skills.

Mandatory Courses

Learning Lab
Raven Standard
Leadership

Freedom Fellow Formation

Habituation through Practice

Reflection on Personal Experiences

Engagement with Virtuous Exemplars

Dialogue that Increases Virtue Literacy

Awareness of Situational Variables

Moral Reminders

Friendships of Mutual Accountability

Become a Freedom Fellow

The Freedom Fellows program accepts students who understand that what you give in value is more important than what you take in payment. We admit students who yearn to provide a voice for others and engage in meaningful dialogue with those with different experiences for the purpose of learning and understanding.

Applications to the Freedom Fellows program open on October 1 of a student’s senior year of high school and can be found on their admission portal.

Applicant Requirements

Applicants are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA. However, students who do not meet the academic requirements but have shown tremendous leadership qualities and community service may be considered for acceptance into the program.

Step 1: Prepare Video Response

Record one video that includes a response to the prompt below. The video should not exceed 5 minutes. Upload this video to YouTube and make the video publicly available (it can be unlisted).

Video Prompt

W.E.B. Du Bois, an American sociologist, suggested that there are four fundamental questions, revolving around morals and ethics, that every generation must address. In your video, please address each of these questions and relate some of them to your personal life experiences. The questions are as follows:

What does integrity do in the face of adversity/opposition?
What does honesty do in the face of lies and deception?
What does decency do in the face of insult?
How does virtue meet brute force?

Step 2: Review Your Résumé

Make sure that your résumé includes any notable community service and extracurricular activities.

Step 3: Submit Online Application

Include a link to your YouTube video response in the application form.
Upload your résumé in the application form.

Submit Freedom Fellows Application

Applications are due December 15 for admission the following fall.

Students who qualify will be invited for a second round, in-person interview the following February with the Freedom Fellows program Director and Assistant Director on Benedictine’s campus.