Fellowship Programs

The Fellowship That Forges Character

A seven-month leadership journey for students guided by Medal of Honor values and designed to develop the character skills that matter most when pressure is highest.

The Fellowship Programs at the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership develop youth and college students as values-driven civic leaders through structured training, community engagement, and mentorship rooted in Medal of Honor values.

Junior Leader Fellowship serves high school students through seven months of leadership challenges, virtual training sessions, and a culminating capstone experience. Each fellow designs and implements a community service project while developing foundational character skills.

Emerging Leaders Fellowship is designed for college students ready to build on foundational leadership with behavioral science insights and civic knowledge. Through experiential learning, close mentorship, and high-impact service initiatives, fellows explore how to lead ethically and effectively across complex systems.

Both fellowships emphasize personal accountability, difficult challenges that build character, and a strong network of Medal of Honor Recipients, sector leaders, and like-minded peers.

What Makes This Fellowship Different

Six defining characteristics that shape how Fellows develop character over seven months

7 Months of Sustained Development

Character doesn’t develop in a weekend. Our seven-month structure allows for repeated practice, reflection, and integration of character skills into Fellows’ actual lives.

Character Skills for Every Part of Life

We develop character skills like courage, integrity, and resilience that serve our Fellows in every domain: personal relationships, academic challenges, future careers, and moments of moral complexity.

World-Class Faculty & Medal of Honor Recipients

Fellows learn from expert instructors and Americans who proved their character under the ultimate pressure: people who faced life-or-death decisions and chose character over safety.

Month-Long Challenges in Real Life

Fellows don’t practice in simulations. They take on month-long challenges that help them translate lessons into lived habits, building character through practice in their actual daily lives, not in retreat centers or classrooms.

Measurable Character Growth

We measure character development through validated assessments. Fellows demonstrate growth in pushing through fear, honoring different perspectives, and making values-aligned choices.

A Community Committed to Growth

Fellows join a cohort of peers who challenge each other, support each other through difficult moments, and build friendships grounded in shared commitment to becoming better.

More than a program. A transformative experience that shapes who you become.

Character Development in Action

Building the Mindset

What Fellows now believe and understand as a result of the program

Courage

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Are better able to push through fear to do things that matter to them

Integrity

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Are better at owning mistakes and taking responsibility without deflecting

Sacrifice

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Are better able to make choices based on their values, even when it means giving something up

Self-Awareness

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Are better at identifying what triggers strong emotional reactions in them

Empathy

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Are better at honoring others’ perspectives as valid, even when different from their own

Resilience

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Now view setbacks as opportunities to learn rather than personal failures

Taking Action

Where Fellows are doing the harder work of in-the-moment execution

Courage

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Are now more comfortable asking for things they want, even when they might hear no

Integrity

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Are now better at being honest when the truth is harder to say than staying quiet

Sacrifice

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Are now better able to give something up in the present to focus on what matters long-term

Self-Awareness

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Are now better at pausing between feeling an emotion and acting on it

Empathy

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Are now better at staying present with struggling peers without jumping in to fix things

Resilience

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Are now better at bouncing back and continuing to pursue goals after disappointments