Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows

Undergraduate student Jason Woods, class of 2022, majoring in marketing, writes about the Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows program.

The difference between a person that simply succeeds and a person that thrives is small; it comes down to a few key aspects that aren’t taught in classrooms. Whether or not a person lands the position they’ve always dreamed of or settles for something less than ideal is a matter of knowing themselves, being motivated, and embracing challenge as much as it is having the technical know-how for the position.

The Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows (SELF) are dedicated to cultivating the understanding, passion, and mindset needed to thrive in the modern world; the two-week program is designed to help students find out what drives them and provide them with the tools they’ll need to pursue it.

Students will build a deeper understanding of themselves and cultivate an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset through interactive experiences that explore the role of business in society. They’ll connect with others – including professors, college students, and their peers – experience life on campus, and engage with course material in ways that will broaden their horizons and pull them out of their comfort zones.

 Through SELF, students will:

Cultivate the skills they will need during and after college through engaging experiences both in and out of the classroom.

• Students will engage in interactive classroom sessions led by the talented Smith School of Business faculty and staff, which focus on encouraging students to embrace the challenge of solving real-world problems in creative ways.
• The program culminates in a team-based pitch competition – students will use all the skills they have learned to pitch products of their own design to industry professionals.
• During travel opportunities to company sites and excursions throughout the National Capital Region, students will gain a deeper understanding of the role of business in the modern world.

Analyze themselves and their goals in order to gain a more complete understanding of their passions, strengths, and weaknesses.

• While teaching valuable skills for success, our interactive classroom sessions are also focused on exposing students to ideas rooted in a philosophy of self-reliance and motivation.
• Whether they are visiting a company site or coming up with product ideas, students will consider the mark they want to leave on the world and gain deeper insight into their goals.

Connect with faculty, college students, and each other in meaningful ways to form strong and lasting relationships.

• By working together in the classroom, living together in residence halls, and unwinding with one another in the evenings, students build a sense of community in SELF and forge lasting bonds that stay strong far after the program has ended.
• Working with talented faculty, college students, and peers allows students to begin building their network for the future.

Success starts with the individual; no matter where a student begins, SELF is about providing them with the tools they need to fully realize their potential – the entrepreneurial mindset, self-reliance, and self-awareness that they will need to become leaders in the modern world.

If you’re interested, you can sign up for our 2020 High School Summer Program interest group, or find out more about the program – including sample schedules, more student testimonials, and information on payment.

Student Testimonials

“Honestly one of my favorite parts of SELF was that, more than just business, we learned a lot about things that are applicable to anyone. I learned a lot about how to talk to people and how I manage and define my own success. We talked about personal leadership and our strengths and weaknesses, and that really helped a lot of us figure out who we were as people and future professionals.” – Megan Keefe

“The teachers I had in SELF were all wonderful. I gained a lot from them and from the program. On top of just business knowledge, I made a lot of really good friends. During the last two weeks, all of us got really close – even the RAs – and it honestly feels like a family now. A lot of the stuff we did together in class was fun – especially the VR training – and that helped me learn the material a lot better!” – Darius Harvey