The Student Leadership Program fosters the continued growth of Fellows as both professionals and individual leaders. Fellows will participate in weekly meetings as a cohort to learn about themselves and topics of interest, including advocacy skills, job skills, nonprofit knowledge, social justice concepts, and more. Fellows will receive mentorship and shadow Students United’s various departments to learn specific skills and assist various teams with tasks.

Fellows will simultaneously work part-time as interns either within Students United or with an external partner organization in roles or areas related to their interests, educational focus, and experiences. Applying students should plan to participate in fellowship development and internship placements for the full school year.

Eligibility
In order to be considered for this fellowship, students must meet the following requirements:

• Enrolled student at a Minnesota State university for the full 2023-2024 academic year (Bemidji State University, Metropolitan State University, Minnesota State University (Mankato), Minnesota State University (Moorhead), St. Cloud State University, Southwest Minnesota State University, Winona State University)

• Interest in nonprofits and organizational management

• Career interests related to at least one of the following:

  • Finance or Operations

  • Public Relations, Communications, or Social Media Management

  • Legislative Research or Advocacy

  • Minnesota State University Level Advocacy

  • Meeting or Event Planning

  • Development/Fundraising or Scholarship Outreach

  • Student Advocacy or Development

• Some experience with Office 365

• Strong communication skills and ability to communicate with varied audiences through varied mediums

• Interest in bettering your community and the world around you

• Desire to grow and learn

• Strong organizational skills and ability to self-manage multiple tasks

• Curiosity and growth mindset

• Ability to meet deadlines

• Alignment with Students United's mission, vision, values

• Commitment to growth in equity, inclusion, and accessibility values

Our fellows are matched with internships that they are highly qualified for and bring meaningful experiences and professional development they gain throughout their fellowship experience. By hosting a fellow in your organization, you are getting a passionate, smart, and capable Minnesota State student ready to work with you to create a positive impact in your organization, business, or government agency. The Student Leadership Program fellows come from across Minnesota and are actively attending one of Minnesota’s 7 State Universities during their fellowship. When you host an internship experience for one of our fellows, you are supporting Minnesota State University students and helping to build a community in our state where folks can learn, work, and make change together.

The Community Leader Fellowship is funded through a combination of student fees, private grants, and individual donors to build a program where Minnesota State University students can grow, learn, work, and thrive while supporting the organizations and businesses that call Minnesota home.

We are eager to partner with funders who are passionate about empowering students, encouraging their personal and professional growth, and ensuring they bring their skills, experiences, and life perspectives to their work.

End of January | Rolling applications open for the coming year’s cohort

May 1 | Priority deadline for the incoming cohort fellowship applications

June 30 | Final deadline for the incoming cohort fellowship applications

Week 1 in August | Two-day kick-off and orientation event for the cohort in St. Paul

Weeks 2-3 in August | Job Shadowing with the Students United staff

Bi-weekly Throughout School Year | Leadership development sessions

Bi-weekly Throughout School Year | Cohort check-ins and group learning sessions

May | Two-day year-end celebration for the cohort at our office in St. Paul