Patrick Healy Fellowship Program

Through regular interaction with each other, the Fellows are afforded the opportunity to collaborate with a group of exceptional student leaders of different backgrounds from the time they are selected as sophomores. Fellows share a commitment to academic excellence, a desire to create a better Georgetown and a passion for addressing issues affecting the university and beyond, with a particular concern for marginalized communities. Current and prior participants have indicated relationships developed through the program are not only strong, they are transformative.

Fellowship continues for life, as alumni of the Patrick Healy Fellowship Program maintain those relationships and build new relationships within PHF, enriching connections to one another and continuing to strengthen their bonds to Georgetown.

Each Fellow is mentored by one or more Georgetown graduates, typically alumni who are active in the field or fields in which the Fellow has particular career interests. These relationships offer Fellows insight into potential career opportunities and investments in personal development and growth. Furthermore, mentors are often instrumental in assisting Fellows with internships, graduate school, and job searches. Mentors, as former Fellows and/or Georgetown alumni, also offer insight into the Georgetown campus life experience, as well as advice and guidance. Although each Fellow has an assigned mentor, all alumni who are a part of the Fellowship are available to provide mentorship to any of the Fellows.

From an alumni perspective, the program asks that mentors keep in consistent contact with their mentee (offering career or other advice when needed), make an effort to attend program events during each school year and assist the program either organizationally, financially, or both.

The PHF program provides Fellows with opportunities to enrich and enhance their Georgetown experience, specifically focusing on topics of interest to marginalized communities. We do so by providing opportunities for the students to participate, without expense, in: (i) seminars with Georgetown professors to discuss books, films, or other topics, particularly those of interest to marginalized communities; (ii) discussions with Georgetown University stakeholders; and (iii) opportunities to attend cultural programming in the Washington, D.C. area (such as theatrical or musical performances, or museum exhibitions).

Fellows are expected to be leaders in their communities, within Georgetown and/or the broader Washington, D.C. community. Fellows are brought together through a spirit of service and a commitment to issues that impact marginalized communities, at Georgetown and beyond. Being a Fellow also allows students to become involved in each others’ projects and offers students an incubator to explore initiating new projects that address a need in our community.

As part of their participation in the program, the Fellows partake in programs and opportunities to grow their leadership skills and prepare for life after Georgetown. In partnership with PHF alumni, Fellows plan and partake in professional development opportunities to explore new industries and career paths, be exposed to different definitions of what success in life looks like, and gain the tools to direct their own path to success.

The Fellowship also offers other opportunities for Leadership Development, primarily through two bodies: the Recent Alumni Council, which offers recent PHF alumni the opportunity to give back to the Fellowship and support the undergraduate Fellows in their journey; and through the Board of Directors, which provides strategic direction and financial stewardship for the Fellowship.

In addition to mentoring current Fellows, PHF alumni are encouraged to maintain a connection with each other, across all graduating classes.  PHF offers multiple opportunities, both in person and virtual, for alumni to reconnect, share updates and individual successes, and support each other. PHF is also driving other opportunities for alumni to connect through an annual Homecoming Brunch, regional alumni chapters, programs that celebrate alumni Fellows’ professional success milestones, and more.