Students in their first or sophomore years are eligible to become Speaking Fellows. Applicants are encouraged to sign up for Speaking Fellows workshops and one-on-one sessions before applying to develop an appreciation for what Speaking Fellows do.
The Spring 2018 Speaking Fellow application is now available!
The Spring 2018 application will be due on Monday, March 5th at 5:00 PM; interviewees will be emailed on Friday, March 9th; interviews will occur between Wednesday, March 21st and Wednesday, March 28th; and on Friday, March 30th, Speaking Fellows in Training for Fall 2018 will be announced via email.
The information sessions will be held on the following dates:
Friday the 16th at 2 PM | BAR 217 | with administrators & students
Wednesday the 21st at 8 PM | BAR 217 | students only
Sunday the 25th at 6 PM | BAR 217 | students only
If you have any questions about the application process or about the program in general, please contact Pam Cobrin (Director; pcobrin@barnard.edu), Daniela Kempf (Manager; dkempf@barnard.edu), or Katy Lasell (Coordinator; klasell@barnard.edu).
Please also check out this video made by current Speaking Fellows, about what it means to them to be Fellows:
FAQ’s answered by current Speaking Fellows
Is being a Speaking Fellow a paid job? Yes, we earn a $1050 stipend each semester for working 70 hours. That’s $15 an hour!
Do I need a lot of public speaking experience or natural talent to be a Speaking Fellow? No, that’s not necessarily what we’re looking for. Speaking Fellows need to be great listeners who can adapt in the moment to meet the needs of students seeking help. At our core, we are peer educators who are passionate about public speaking. We work hard to improve our own public speaking skill-set, but that doesn’t mean we’re all naturals.
Once accepted, how do you train to be a Speaking Fellow? If accepted this spring, you enroll in a 3-credit course next Fall called “Rhetorical Choices.” This is a very rewarding course that covers rhetorical theory, public speaking practice, and workshop facilitation. During your semester as an SFiT (Speaking Fellow in Training), you don’t officially work as a Speaking fellow yet, but you are mentored by a trained Speaking Fellow and you observe some workshops and one-on-ones.
Is being a Speaking Fellow a flexible job? Yes, though it is a commitment. We all choose a 1-hour slot for our weekly one-on-one in the speaking center that works for our schedule. We also have mandatory weekly meetings on Fridays, historically from noon to 1:30 PM. Other than that, our workshops, class visits and meetings are scheduled individually by us. We can work around our academic schedules, setting aside weeks we can work a lot and weeks we can’t. Speaking Fellows usually work 5 hours a week on average.
Is being a Speaking Fellow fun and rewarding? Yes! It is a unique chance to work closely with the Barnard community to truly make a difference. It’s also an opportunity join a community of Barnard students and alumnae who are passionate about speaking. The job is fun and full of perks.