Baret Scholars

In each region of the Baret Scholars journey, we bring speakers from all walks of life to share their stories with our Scholars, like a traveling Chautauqua of the kind that rolled across the United States in the 19th century. Our speakers are academics, ballet dancers, politicians, explorers, entrepreneurs, artists, financiers, opera singers, biographers, and visionaries, each with their own visions and lenses with which they see the world.

By exposing our Scholars to such a breadth of expertise, they are able to envision new paths of their own. And the bonds they form with our Scholars are not ephemeral. Our Speakers dialogue with our students, and even become their mentors.

Much as our Scholars, who come from all over, make lifelong friendships with each other, so they have a friend in every corner of our globe, they also find interlocutors in our speakers. It’s part of what makes Baret so special.

Where would you go in one year with Baret Scholars?

We journey through 7 regions – North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia.

7 cosmopolitan cities – New York City, São Paulo, Paris, Istanbul, Nairobi, New Delhi, Beijing.

As well as Fellowships in each region, beyond these cities, taking you to the tops of mountains, the ends of the Earth, in the tracks giraffes, elephants, and tigers, down rivers and into the beating heart of technological innovation.

It’s a year that exposes a young mind to more ideas, insights, cultures, and people that many are lucky enough to encounter in a lifetime. It’s a year that our Scholars call their best year yet, that they look back on with profound gratitude. Their futures, their careers, and their ways of seeing the world are forever changed.

And so the answer to the question – “where would you go in one year?” is not answered just with a list of cities and cultural sites, but by sketching the path that our Scholars take with the rest of their lives.

Cover photo: .aveytua
Photos of Granada and Antalya:

A Baret Fellowship is a chance to try things you’ve never tried before, go places you’ve never been before, and do so with a group of people whom you never imagined you would meet.

In Jingdezhen, in their last region of their journey, our Scholars tried their hand at ceramics. Jingdezhen is known as the “Porcelain Capital” of China. For over 1,000 years, the city has produced ceramics for emperors, collectors, and international trade. Today, it is both a historic ceramic center and a growing creative city attracting artists from around the world. In the photographs above, you can see some of the pieces our Scholars molded with their own hands.

Their 7 day Fellowship took them through Wuyuan, a countryside region in Jiangxi Province famous for its traditional villages, white-walled houses, green mountains, and agricultural landscapes. It is often considered one of the most beautiful rural areas in China. They stopped off in Huangling, a mountainside village known for its traditional Hui-style architecture, drying crops, and scenic views. The village offered a glimpse into rural life and historic architecture in eastern China.

A Baret Fellowship is a journey: through time and space, which allows our Scholar real hands-on experiences and challenges. They’re just one part of what makes the Baret year special.