The Caldwell Fellows Program is now accepting applications as the initial step in its selection process. The program provides students with various opportunities including traveling and networking on top of a substantial stipend.

Amanda Lilley, assistant director for the Caldwell Fellows Program, said Caldwell Fellows receive a $4,000 tuition stipend and a developmental stipend for up to $2,000. She said the stipend continues for three years.

“So the award equals approximately $20,000 at the time you graduate,” she said.

Help with footing the bill for college is not the only reward Caldwell Fellows enjoy.

Lilley said the program hosts monthly dinner seminars that provide students with opportunities to learn about the community and interact with alumni, community members, faculty and staff.

“We have a huge network of [alumni], over 950 [alumni], that are great resources as far as networking,” she said.

Students in the program echoed Lilley’s take on networking on campus.

“I had networking opportunities, it was just a great way to get connected right when I came in,” Allison Johnston, a Caldwell Fellow and a senior in biological sciences, said.

Lance Brune, a Caldwell Fellow and senior in biological sciences, emphasized the opportunities the program provides for its members.

“[Caldwell Fellows] has opened doors for many opportunities within the community and around campus to become involved,” he said.

According to Lilley, the program only accepts first-year students who are currently enrolled in their first semester.

She said selected Caldwell Fellows alumni, faculty and staff review applicants based on five different selection criteria: leadership and potential, academic performance, community and service, personal growth and physical challenge and “a sincere desire to maximize the program’s opportunities.”

“You [also] have to have a 3.25 GPA to apply after your first semester,” she said.

The applications go through a three-part selection process.

“They read applications and score them,” she said. “They also participate in the interview process.”

Johnston said she didn’t think the interview process was stressful.

“I just remember my interviewers being really super nice and friendly, it was like a conversation,” she said. “They want everyone to feel comfortable.”

Lilley said the program nurtures students and helps them find their “niche” on campus.

“Being part of such an engaged community is very beneficial in that it can inspire students to take on things that they perhaps wouldn’t have thought possible if they weren’t encouraged by that community,” Lilley said.

“I think it helped me become more a part of the N.C. State Wolfpack as a whole,” Johnston said.

Brune indicated the program helps students get in touch with others who have comparable aspirations.

“It surrounds you in an environment with people who have similar goals and motivations to also be involved around campus and the community,” Brune said.

Lilley said the number of applications the program receives “fluctuates from year to year.”

“Last year we had right around 230 applicants,” she said. “Approximately 25 applicants are accepted.”

Applications are available at www.ncsu.edu/caldwell. All applications are due on Jan. 17.