GUIDANCE, MENTORSHIP, AND A NETWORK OF SUPPORT

Alexander Hamilton Scholars focuses on closing the opportunity gap for young people like Alexander Hamilton.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

After accepting the Alexander Hamilton Scholars Award, students enter the Empowerment Program alongside fellow cohort members — peers who will learn and grow together over the next five years, but make for connections that last a lifetime.

The Empowerment Program, provided at no cost to the student, consists of individual and group support. Throughout, students receive mentorship, practical guidance, and a comprehensive network of support — much like Hamilton had — so they, too, can leave a lasting legacy that will forever change their communities, our nation, and the world. AHS staff and assigned, upper-cohort Scholar mentors engage one-on-one with students through phone calls, video conferences, and email. Group support and learning is offered through cohort conference calls and Leader Weeks.

In addition to Leader Weeks, AHS’ Independent Internship Support Program offers stipends to 10 to 15 Hamilton Scholars who secure unpaid or low-paying summer internships. These stipends cover living expenses, allowing Scholars to accept positions they may otherwise need to decline.

All curriculum is designed around AHS’ Pillars of Success; completion of the 5-year Empowerment Program requires Scholars to reach benchmarks further detailed below.

Our application opens in November and closes in January each year. See our timeline here!

Explore AHS’ Empowerment Program

TRANSITION

Scholars make a successful transition from high school to college, and from college to future professional or academic paths. Components include:

Year 2 Leader Week

Peer Mentorship

Resume Reviews

Informational Interviews

HERITAGE

Scholars gain an increased knowledge of how the history of the United States connects both with each Scholar's individual journey, and with the collective national experience. Scholars also display increased civic engagement and participation in community governance. Components include:

Year 3 Leader Weekend

Contextualizing Personal Heritage

EMPOWERMENT

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Scholars establish and fulfill the goals identified in the Personal Development Plan process in all seven key areas: financial, career, educational, public service, family & friends, personal, and spiritual. Goals correspond with Scholars’ self-developed values and guiding principles. Components include:

Year 1 Leader Week

Empowerment Toolkit

Check-Ins

FINANCIAL LITERACY

Scholars graduate college with manageable debt, and with a solid understanding of how to create and manage a budget, save money, and invest in their future financial health. Components include:

Admissions & Financial Aid Counselors

Budget Development

Emergency Fund Support

2 x $500 Award

Loans Navigation

LEADERSHIP

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Inspired by Alexander Hamilton’s legacy of leadership through service, Scholars prioritize and value their responsibility to use their talents and skills to effect positive change in their communities, the nation, and the world; Scholars also have an overall understanding of the importance of social impact and legacy. Components include:

Local Community Projects

Scholars in Service

Internships

Independent Internship Fund

AHS staff fully support Scholars throughout the program, joining alongside to offer guidance and assistance in accessing resources and opportunities, so Hammies fully achieve their goals. This relationship and the success of the program relies on reciprocity and a mutual commitment from both AHS staff and Scholars. Each curriculum year has corresponding assignments and conference calls that require Scholar time and attention, and prompt communication is essential.

Winners also receive two $500 cash scholarship at their entrance and exit to the Empowerment program to pay for college and post-college expenses. In addition, all winners have access to AHS internship programs and will join a distinguished cohort of peers from across the US. This unique Scholar community extends back through 15 years of cohorts and supports one another as they take steps together towards achieving a college education and a meaningful career.

LEADER WEEKS

Throughout a Scholar’s time in the Empowerment Program, they’ll attend — at no cost — three leadership conferences designed to prepare them for critical transitions before university, to university, during university, and beyond to professional or academic paths.