Fellows With a Future
Georgia has plenty of homegrown talent worth keeping close, and Kennesaw State University is giving some of its brightest students another reason to build their futures here, starting with a $10,000 annual scholarship and a leadership program designed to open doors well beyond the classroom.
More Than a Scholarship Check
Beginning in fall 2027, Kennesaw State will welcome the first 10 students into its new Presidential Fellows Cohort, a program aimed at high-achieving Georgia students who are interested in doing considerably more with college than collecting credits.
Each fellow will receive a $10,000 annual scholarship for up to four years. That alone makes the program notable. KSU is pairing the financial support with personalized mentorship, executive shadowing alongside business and community leaders, a specialized leadership curriculum and a study-abroad experience in Montepulciano, Italy.
The cohort will operate through the KSU Journey Honors College, where experiential learning, professional development, research opportunities and leadership already figure prominently in the undergraduate experience.
For Georgia businesses, the more interesting part may be what happens beyond the classroom.
Building a Pipeline Before Graduation
Kennesaw State sits in metro Atlanta, placing students within reach of major industries and employers. The Presidential Fellows model is designed to put that proximity to work.
Through KSU’s research opportunities, industry partnerships, employer network and executive shadowing, students can begin building professional relationships while they are still undergraduates. The Presidential Fellows program also requires a competitive selection process, with applicants demonstrating academic achievement and leadership potential.
That combination matters because workforce development rarely begins with a job posting. It starts earlier, when students get enough exposure to industries, employers and mentors to understand where their skills might fit. A college experience that connects those pieces can make the transition from campus to career considerably less theoretical.
There is also a straightforward Georgia angle. The inaugural fellows will come from within the state, giving KSU another tool for attracting accomplished students who might otherwise look elsewhere for highly selective scholarship and leadership opportunities.
Ten students will not transform Georgia’s workforce overnight. But as a model, the program connects several things employers routinely say they want: strong academics, leadership development, professional experience and young talent with reasons to build a future here.
