Testimonials
The Raleigh Fellows Program is a spectacular year of learning who you were designed to be by the most loving and kind Creator. You will learn more about yourself than you probably desire to know or know what to do with, but it will also give you direction on how to live, how to relate to others, and how to make an impact in the world. I truly believe it is the best gift you could give to yourself in the transition into adulthood.
Linsey Wenk ‘23
The Raleigh Fellows Program gave me more than just 9 months of learning, growing, work and development. Although those are all benefits of the program, my biggest realization was I gained a new sense of home. Home includes familiarity, friends, family, and comfort. With my new home, it started with Ashley Crutchfield and her welcoming into her home, which is now a big part of mine. Being a Raleigh Fellows gives you a greater sense of home.
Noah Thompson ‘22
To those in college who are wondering if they should apply: you are not taking a full time job, you are not entering in to full time schooling. However, fellows is anything but a gap year. A gap year implies a vacancy, emptiness, break, perhaps even a lack of meaning. Fellows is anything but this. Fellows is not a gap year, it is a growing year, a learning year. It is a year spent studying yourself, studying others, and studying God. It is a year working on self, investing in others, and participating in what God is up to in the local church. Fellows is a time for deep friendship and growth. Fellows is for those who value community.
Hayes Thielman ‘18
Life-changing! In the deepest sense. I got to absorb wisdom through a firehose from incredible men and women for 9 months! The Raleigh Fellows program created a space for me to explore the intersection of faith and work and where I fit into God's plan of redeeming all things.
Andrew Borror ’16
I think if I had to boil it down to one sentence I would say that I find it just beautiful the way the Lord creates and uses structure to bring freedom into our lives. The Raleigh Fellows Program looked on the outside to be a busy schedule and a lot of doing and serving, yet on the inside my heart was being trained, stretched, searched, and blessed in a way that set me free.
Kelsey Riggs ’15
God used the Fellows Program to give me a more courageous voice as I learned more about my gifts and talents, and how to step into leadership roles I thought were designed for others and not myself! Now, as a Fellow Alum, I am so happy to say, I feel more grounded and content with who God created me to be.
Bethany Doster ’15
I would recommend the Raleigh Fellows Program to every recent college grad. The transition out of college can be tough and scary and this program helped me navigate through that transition. It helped me answer questions such as, "What do I want my life to be about?" What type of woman do I want to be?" and "How can I serve the Lord in whatever job I'm doing?"
Kelsey Powell ’15
Coming to Raleigh for the Fellows Program is one of the clearest examples of the Lord's provision in my life. I am so thankful that God included the Raleigh Fellows program in my story. In that transition year between undergrad and the real world, being surrounded by people who were pushing me towards the Lord and pouring into me made all the difference in my growth. God taught me more about vulnerability, patience and generous provision than ever before. If you are looking to seek the Lord and set a steadfast foundation of faith before you go to work for the rest of your life, the Raleigh Fellows is where you belong.
Rebecca Schuh Sipe ’14
Because Taylor Swift was on to something when she said being 22 is happy, free, confusing, and lonely at the same time; it's miserable and magical. If I didn't have the structure of the Raleigh Fellows Program, I would have floundered in my newfound freedom. If I didn't have the fellows community, I would have wallowed in my loneliness. The first step I took as an adult was toward the fellows program. It anchored me in Christ, and just as importantly, in Christian community. I felt embraced by an entire church community for the first time. That's enough to change your life. Your whole life: the places you go, the jobs you take, the people you date, the words you speak, the opinions you form, the company you keep, the life you lead...My whole life. Changed.
Elizabeth Dowgin Achilles ’11