HILLSBORO, Kan. – Tabor College’s Presidential Leadership Program has given an invitation to 14 incoming freshman to participate in the Fellows track beginning fall 2016.
The following students have been invited to participate in the PLP Fellows track: Ryan Ahrens, Newton, Kan.; Lindsay Crist, Lincoln, Kan.; Marissa Cyphers, Wichita, Kan.; Abigail Friesen, Olathe, Kan.; Caleb Gaede, Klamath Falls, Ore.; Marissa Graf, Colony, Okla.; Rachel Hagen, Inman, Kan.; Carson Kirby, Gettysburg, S.D.; Kalen Moss, Hillsboro, Kan.; Sophia Peterson, Lindsborg, Kan.; Marina Stutzman, Wichita, Kan.; Erin Vaughan, Saint Joseph, Mo.; Anna Wilkin, Denver, Colo.; and Bethany Wollman, Menno, S.D.
The students have until March 1 to decide if they will participate in the PLP Fellows track.
Tabor’s PLP is a competitive opportunity available to incoming freshmen. Students interested in the program must submit an application and then compete for a spot. The four-year, eight-semester program appeals to students who have been leaders in academics, school activities and communities during high school.
“The students selected to participate in the Fellows track are high capacity individuals,” said Tabor College President Jules Glanzer. “I was impressed with their character and leadership abilities. They are the kind of students who we want at Tabor.
“Mentoring is a centerpiece of this program,” Glanzer added. “Each of these students will receive some excellent mentoring which will impact them for a lifetime.”
In early November, Tabor hosted 18 candidates from Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, California, South Dakota and Thailand, all vying for a spot.
Students had to meet the following criteria to be eligible to compete: admittance to Tabor College, minimum high school GPA of 3.3, minimum and ACT composite score of 23 or a combined SAT critical reading/math score of 1070.
Living as a leader has become the central focus of the PLP. Tabor’s goal is to give Fellows the opportunity to learn about leadership while actively living it in their daily lives. As students determine and engage their passions, the program strives to equip them with the skills, knowledge and support to live out their God-given leadership abilities.
Vice President of Enrollment Management Rusty Allen said: “Generally, leaders are made not born. Tabor’s Presidential Leadership Training Program for Fellows is an outstanding opportunity for students to practice leadership. We are excited about the group of Fellows who have been offered positions in our program. They are the kind of students who are going to grow into Christian leaders, leave Tabor and make the world a better place.”
In the Fellows track, multiple learning methods are used to help develop student’s personal leadership abilities. Here is some of what the PLP offers:
- Mentoring provides an opportunity for intentional interaction to foster personal leadership growth from an assigned mentor from the Tabor community.
- Small group interactions with peers in the Fellows track, plus discussions about books, movies, experiences and leadership theory.
- Service projects for living out servant leadership to impact the world.
- Excursions to discover how leadership is alive and being practiced outside of Tabor’s campus and community.
PLP Director of Fellows Erin Barocio said this program helps hone student’s leadership skills.
“In the Fellows track, we are blessed to walk alongside young leaders as they expand their skills and knowledge base to realize their leadership potential,” Barocio said. “At a deeper level, we also hope to help them develop their personal leadership character, discover their purpose and eventually put the two together as they move on from Tabor.
“The students selected as Fellows will be great additions as they already possess strong leadership abilities,” she added. “The opportunity to develop and invest in these students is exciting for our program and campus.”
Combining leadership ideas with the practical execution of leadership in the student’s sphere of influence will prepare them to eventually move beyond Tabor and impact the world for God’s purpose.
“I am very excited about the group of students we have invited to be involved in the Presidential Leadership Program Fellows track next year,” said Director of Admissions Lee Waldron. “They are smart, talented and unique in what they will bring to campus. These students will make an immediate impact to whatever they are involved in here at Tabor.”