CCEE students Brandon Tucker and Grace Sullivan are among 28 first-year students named to NC State’s competitive Caldwell Fellows program. Tucker, who is from Charlotte, North Carolina, is studying civil engineering, and Sullivan, who is from Southern Pines, North Carolina, is studying environmental engineering and political science. 

Selected from a pool of more than 150 first-year applicants, the class of 2025 passed through a rigorous selection process that included submitting a written online application, participating in a semifinalist interview phase, and completing a full day’s worth of interviews on February 26. 

Caldwell Fellows are selected for demonstrating an aptitude for servant-leadership development. The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert Greenleaf, a former AT&T executive. In his foundational essay, “The Servant as Leader,” Greenleaf explains how the “best test” of a servant leader is whether those they serve grow as people, becoming “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants.” 

“Each year we embark on the challenge of identifying first-year NC State committed to developing their leadership and serving in North Carolina and beyond,” said Dr. Janice Odom, director of the Caldwell Fellows. “I am delighted that the members of the Caldwell Fellows Class of 2025 are dedicated to NC State’s land grant mission of empowering themselves and others to build brighter futures for their communities.” 

Students selected for the Caldwell Fellows program undergo intensive leadership development programming that includes a Sophomore Seminar on their personal philosophy of leadership and a capstone training at the internationally-renowned Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. Named in honor of former NC State Chancellor John T. Caldwell, the Caldwell Fellows is NC State’s oldest scholarship and fellowship program dedicated to leadership development.

Through the generosity of NC State alumni and supporters, more than one hundred individual endowments provide tuition support and experiential learning stipends to each Caldwell Fellow. Endowments also support the robust three year program curriculum. The longtime home of the Caldwell Fellows is the NC State Alumni Association, which provides support and stewardship of the program’s funds. 

This story original appeared on the Caldwell Fellows website.