Rising Leaders

A first-year and first-year transfer leadership program

Start Your Leadership Journey at NC State

Rising Leaders is a high impact leadership and mentorship experience designed for first-year and first-year transfer students who want to get connected, build confidence, and make the most of their NC State experience.

Through leadership workshops, peer mentoring, social events, service learning, and a close-knit community, Rising Leaders helps students find their place at NC State while developing skills that will support them throughout college and beyond. This is also a free program for our NC State students to participate in!

Whether you already see yourself as a leader or are just looking for a place to start, Rising Leaders is built for you.

Applications have OPENED and will close on September 14 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Please make sure to read into the program prior to applying!

Apply Here!

Who Should Apply/ Requirements for Rising Leaders

Rising Leaders is made to fit where ever you are in your leadership journey! Whether you were really involved in high school or if this is your first step in your leadership journey, we encourage you to apply!

If you are a First-Year Student at NC State Who:

Desire to get more involved on campus
Want to get involved with service and learn more about leadership
Desire to connect with other first-year students and build community

What Does the Program Include?

Fall Semester

These workshop sessions will be November 1st, November 8th, and November 15th. These workshops are crafted to build community within the Rising Leader Community, further leadership development, and set goals for the 2026-2027 academic year

Experience leadership in action through Day of Service, a program tradition focused on giving back, strengthening community connections, and serving alongside fellow students and mentors. On November 21 2026, Rising Leader members will engage in direct service with Raleigh partnerships.

Throughout the Fall and Spring Semester, our peer mentors host various social events to bring together Rising Leaders. Examples of socials include game nights, cycling classes, bowling, and arts and craft nights.

Spring Semester

These weekly workshops are a blend of personal, professional, and academic developmental topics. They are a blend of community development and ice breakers, leadership development content, and intentional reflection to apply the content to YOUR leadership journey.

Our retreat is at the Eastern 4-H Center on January 15 to January 16 2027. Our retreat is an engaging time centered around program traditions, ice breakers, and leadership development.

All Rising Leaders will select a topical issue to focus on for their group service learning projects and coordinate logistics of the service opportunity including reaching out to the community partners, planning the service, and engaging in direct reflection.

Each Rising Leader has a peer mentor and a peer mentor group. Our peer mentors have previously particpated in the Rising Leaders program and are a resource to help first year students in their transition to NC State. Partipcants will have two 1:1s with their mentor and will establish a relationship with their peer mentor group.

Workshop Topic Examples

Leveraging Your Clifton Strengths
Conflict Management
Spirits and Traditions at NC State
Clifton Strengths
Resume Building
Relational Leadership Model
Service Learning
Continuing Your Leadership Journey
Networking/LinkedIn

Application Process

We want to get to know you! The Rising Leaders application process is designed to give us a chance to learn more about your experiences, interests, and leadership potential while giving you an opportunity to learn more about the program and connect with current Rising Leaders peer mentors.

Step 1: Written Application
The first step is a written application where you will share a little more about yourself. We want to learn about your experiences, interests, goals, and the ways you have already demonstrated leadership. You do not need to have a formal leadership title or extensive leadership experience to apply. We are interested in getting to know who you are and what you hope to grow into as a leader.

After reviewing applications, selected applicants will be invited to the next step, giving us another opportunity to connect and get to know you even better!

Step 2: Connect & Interview
The second step is a more casual, interactive interview experience. This is not your traditional sit-down interview! You will have the opportunity to connect one-on-one with several current Rising Leaders peer mentors through rotating conversations and questions. This gives you a chance to meet different members of our community and share more about yourself in a relaxed setting.

You will also participate in a group challenge and icebreaker designed to give you an opportunity to collaborate, communicate, and have a little fun with other applicants. There is no “perfect” way to complete the challenge. We are simply excited to see how you approach a new situation, work with others, and bring your authentic self to the experience.

Our goal throughout the process is simple: get to know you. Come as you are, be yourself, and be ready to connect, collaborate, and share your story!

Tips and Tricks to be a Competitive Applicant

There is no single “Rising Leader” look! We are looking for students who are curious, engaged, willing to grow, and excited to make a difference. As you apply, keep these tips in mind:

Be yourself. Your application should sound like you. We want to hear your perspective, not a perfectly polished version of what you think we want to hear.

Share specific examples. When you can, tell us about a real experience, what you did, what you learned, or how it shaped you. Your experiences do not have to come from a formal leadership role!

Show us your growth mindset. Tell us about what you want to learn, improve, or explore as a leader. You do not need to have leadership all figured out-that is what Rising Leaders is here to help with!

Think about how you work with others. Leadership is about more than being in charge. Consider experiences where you collaborated, supported someone, navigated a challenge, included others, or helped move an idea forward.

Take your time. Read each question carefully and give yourself enough time to reflect before submitting. Thoughtful answers will help us get to know you!

Resumes are optional. You are welcome to include a resume with your application, but it is completely optional. Not including one will not negatively impact your application or take away from your responses. We want to get to know you through your application, not just your resume!

Don’t worry about having the “perfect” experience. We value a variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and leadership styles. Tell us your story and let us get to know what makes you, you.

A note about AI. We encourage you to use your own voice and experiences throughout your application. AI tools may be used to help you brainstorm, organize your thoughts, or check grammar, but your responses should reflect your own ideas, experiences, and perspective. Please do not use AI to write your application responses for you. We want your application to reflect the real you, and responses may be reviewed for authenticity.