Aspire Fellows is a selective cohort program for senior business majors—accounting, finance, management or marketing—for students who want to go beyond the traditional classroom experience.
Selected students participate in a University-sponsored 10-month, paid internship and complete classes in a streamlined format with their cohort. In addition, students receive customized professional development from both employers and College of Business staff. Students integrate the required coursework, real-world experience, and professional development with a one-month multi-country global trip in which they will visit businesses and interact with executives.
The program runs for an academic year (summer, fall, and spring) and is open to rising seniors who are declared business majors. The College of Business receives applications in the fall before the May term in which the student will begin. (See below for admissions requirements, process, and timetable.) Special scholarship funding may be available for participants.
Bennie Harris II discusses his experience participating in the Aspire Fellows program.
Complete a paid 700-hour internship, known as a Directed Work Experience or DWE for short
Students will earn course credit hours for the internship experience
Internships are found by College of Business staff and students interview for a variety of roles based on interest
Take 6 required courses (18 hours of credit) toward any business degree
Travel with the cohort on a Maymester Global Experience for four weeks
2 of the above required classes (6 hours) will be taken, plus business visits and group travel
Independently met chapel requirements and priority class registration
Other Opportunities:
Service opportunities and social events with the cohort
Aspire Fellows Learn Days, during which students visit companies and speak with C-Level executives
Professional development in a supportive, team environment
Partnership with an Executive-In-Residence who lends his or her experience to help in the development of cohort members
Enhanced skill and professionalism workshops
Tickets to College of Business-sponsored events i.e. Nashville Business Breakfast, Nashville Business Journal's Bizwomen Mentoring Monday, and CEO Roundtable events
The 2020 Cohort will be traveling to Florence, Italy. They will take International Business and Business Values. Future travel locations and courses may vary.
The 2019 Cohort traveled to Stuttgart, Germany and London, England. The 2018 Cohort travelled to Stuttgart, Germany.
The Aspire Fellows internship experience much more than filing papers or making copies. Our students become an integral part of their company by working on focused projects. This is a chance for students to gain almost a full year of work experience before graduating college. Meanwhile, employers report a willingness to invest in our students since they will be in their positions longer than the traditional semester-long internship. Student roles typically reflect their long-term career goals.
2019-20 Partners
Brown and Brown Insurance
Capital Group
Capstone Business Advisors
Compass Group
Continuum
Dixon Wells
Genesco
Kraft CPAs
Philips
Pride Sports
Schneider Electric
SnapShot Interactive
Surgery Partners
V. Alexander
Visualize Health
Our student has been a valuable asset to our department and have become an integral part of our work-flow. Additional , her questions challenge our underlying perceptions.
— Paul Scalisi, VP Managed Care, Lifepoint
Listed in alphabetical order by first name: Ahmed Amaar, Bennie Harris, Daniel Muhlbauer, Emily Phillips, Emily Watson, Hunter Brown, Jianna Casamento, John Wynia, Kaitlin Stanfield, Luke Wilson, Maria Arellano, Matthew Sherrod, Rachel Woods, Selvana Roum
