What are people saying about VB Fellows?
Tathan Bennett, Director of Operation at Arcadia Property Services | VB Fellows Alum
Being a few years removed from the Fellows Program, I can confidently say it has been the catalyst for my current life. It helped connect me to a majority of my closest relationships in Virginia Beach. It helped me network to lay the foundation for my current profession. Sarah, Jay, and Ross helped me through a season of wrestling with God and gave me wisdom on how to practice being a Christian as I transitioned into the workforce and marriage. Being in the program with a bunch of strangers helps you to be vulnerable, and face some of the demons in your past, as well work on your humility and love for the Lord. Eventually those who were strangers turned into some of my closest friends who I still see weekly. The Fellows program also helped me connect with a local church that I have attended for 4 years, and the directors have encouraged me to put down roots, which I am starting to reap the rewards of. The mentors I was paired up with poured into my life through the year, and still encourage me to this day. I would recommend any post college graduate who is trying finding Christian community and assimilate into the workforce to look into the VB Fellows Program. Who knows, you might end up leaving with a spouse.
Jeff Trueschler, Strategic Marketing Consultant at AboundUp | VB Fellows Alum
I got to be a part of the VB Fellows program in 2019. While it was not what I expected it to be, those nine months with the VB Fellows are an experience that I will always be grateful for. I thought I would spend nine months increasing my knowledge of the Bible and working in a job that would become my career. Instead, I spent nine months learning about who God made me to be, how to dedicate myself to what the Lord has called me to, and how to be in a community with 10 strangers. Because of the VB Fellows, I have friendships that will last a lifetime, mentors who love and support me, and the resources to pursue whatever path I choose. VB Fellows was not what I expected, but it was exactly what I needed, and I would encourage any senior in college to consider applying to a fellows program.
Ashley Jessee, Director of Culture and Strategy at OnPoint Building Services | Employer & Mentor
The VB Fellows program has brought a special crop of men and women to Virginia Beach that have enhanced my life both personally and professionally. We have employed Fellows as interns and have enjoyed seeing how what they are learning about in training is translated into practical decisions made in the workplace. I have also had the pleasure of mentoring several Fellows women, and have been immensely grateful for both our conversations on life & faith, and the ways that they have enriched our family and been such excellent role models for our kids. I am thankful to have them as my friends, and look with anticipation to what the Lord will continue to do in our Fellows community in the future!
Colin Pomory, General Manger at JB Design & Remodeling, Inc | Employer
The VB Fellows is a needed post-university development program for students ready to harness their gifts and passions to walk boldly in their calling. People matter most in every industry, occupation, organization, and business transaction, and the Fellows program equips its people to multiply their high-character leadership principles in all of the above across Hampton Roads. Additionally, if you feel that a leader’s job is to serve their people into growth, and want to partner with an organization that will hone the same skills needed to build your team, working with the VB Fellows is a no-brainer!
Ken Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia
A Fellows program starting in Virginia Beach: what great news! The Fellows program with which I'm involved has profoundly blessed the lives of its participants -- and also been a major blessing to my community. Virginia Beach is fortunate to have Ross Byrd and Jay McCabe involved in the VB Fellows Program. I have known these two brothers-in-Christ from their student days at UVA. At that time, I saw God's hand upon them in a special way. Economists are not great forecasters, but I'll nonetheless predict that the VB Fellows program will be Kingdom-enhancing and will become an important part of what the Lord is accomplishing in the Virginia Beach area. To God be the glory.
Stephanie Clark, Team Leader | Stephanie Clark Real Estate | RE/MAX Alliance | Employer
VB Fellows is just the type of program I've wanted to see develop in Virginia Beach for a long time. I love how it's bringing businesses, families, and churches together to invest in men and women early in their careers, while also asking them to give back to the community. I've been so pleased with the fellows who have worked with me and love how God is using this program for His purposes in Virginia Beach.
Charles Pittman, Partner/Founder at Real Estate Legal Services Virginia Beach and President of Anderson & Pittman, P.C. | Employer
The Fellows Program is an old concept like the Rabbi of the Gospels saying: “Follow me!” You had to stay so close in his footsteps that you were covered in his dust. If you could keep up, it was life changing. Besides being dusty, the choice to follow also had an impact on the vocation of His followers. Fast forward a couple thousand years and those of us blessed to have been mentored in early adulthood at an intense and intentional level still embrace the impact. My Young Life leader was also a business owner and had a vision for making excellent tent makers and civic activists as well as followers of the Rabbi. I rejoiced as my own son committed a year after college to a fellows program and the Lord used it to bring focus and direction to his life. The program provided the catalyst for an undeniable period of transformation in my son. How many of our youth are just a giant bundle of potential waiting to be unleashed? How many are still looking for the key to unlock the potential even after 4 years of college? I believe in the fellows model and all that it can accomplish in the lives of young adults and in the Kingdom of God. I have gratefully given of my time in the past to employ fellows as interns. I am hopeful to have the opportunity again as the latest version of VB Fellows unfolds in Hampton Roads.
Lane Cowin, Senior Director of Ministries at Redeemer Anglican Church (Richmond, VA)
I was a part of a Fellows program my first year out of college, and it was one of the most formative, impactful decisions I’ve ever made. The opportunity to dedicate a year to exploring who God made me to be, in the midst of a loving and supportive community that spurred me forward in my faith was invaluable, truly priceless. For years, in my workplace, within my church community, in different relationships, I often found myself drawing upon the learning and experience I gained during my Fellows year. Joining the VB Fellows program will open your eyes to so much truth about who Christ is and what it means to follow him in this world in all that you do, and will likely gift you with some of the best friends and mentors you’ll ever have.