The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We had an incredible time celebrating you and being with your families last night. The future is bright because of you 🩵 💙

The Class of 2030 is HERE! Meet our newest Robertsons: a bold, brilliant, globally minded group ready to lead, build, and make an impact from day one. They bring big ideas, deep curiosity, and perspectives from across the country and around the world. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead. Welcome to community, Robbies!

Congratulations to Faith Austin ‘27 on being named a 2026 Truman Scholar!
The Truman Scholarship is one of the nation’s highest honors for students committed to public service recognizing leadership, integrity, and a dedication to the common good. For Faith, this recognition reflects not just individual achievement but the communities that have shaped her journey. As she shared, “I did not arrive here self-made. I arrived because people taught me, challenged me, and saw potential in me before I could always see it myself.” We can’t wait to see how she continues to lead with purpose, humility, and courage. Congrats Faith!!

Join us in welcoming the newest members of the class of 2029 Robertsons! Ruby and Eden are young leaders already making their mark at and and we’re so excited to see how they’ll continue to grow and broaden their impact! 🩵 💙

Join us in congratulating Senior Lizzy Glazer on being recognized for her work in climate sustainability at Duke!

After a brief hiatus we are BACK with another Flashback Friday! Before Exploration Summer there was International Summer. Rising juniors would travel together to one of three international locations around the globe. There they’d work with various community partners and agencies expanding their knowledge and putting leadership into practice while learning the history and cultural contexts of each location. In this photo we see members of the Class of 2011 in South Africa. Other international locations included Argentina and Vietnam. Now, during Exploration Summer (as the name might suggest) scholars creat opportunities to explore their interests and commitments through self-designed experiences that challenge their ways of being and knowing as leaders both domestically and abroad. Built on vision. Bound by purpose. Bolstered by community.

Join us in congratulating Anish Aradhey ‘27 on being named a 2026 Goldwater scholar! Anish is a double major in physics and biology at UNC, and his goal is to conduct research on the origin and evolution of galaxies. The Goldwater scholarship will support his research endeavors and is one of the highest academic honors that undergraduate STEM majors can achieve. Congrats Anish!!!! 🌍 🌌

Today we’re throwing it back to our very first Connection Weekend! Connection Weekend debuted in 2022 as a way to highlight the vibrancy of our community to potential scholars (aka Probbies). This was a BIG change for our community. Prior to Connection Weekend, RSLP hosted a “finalist weekend” - the last leg of the interview process to be a Robertson. It was great, and fun times were had. But we realized that the stress of interviews wasn’t really the community vibe we were going for. Now, finalists complete their interviews ahead of time and are invited to preview all RSLP has to offer through Connection Weekend as admitted scholars. See you tonight at our closing celebration Probbies 2030! Built on Vision. Bound by Purpose. Bolstered by Community.

This week we are kicking off Connection Weekend and welcoming the 2030 Cohort to our campuses. So we thought it might be a good time to re-introduce ourselves to new followers and folks who may not be as familiar with our community! We will share more throughout the coming weeks. And Class of 2030 - we can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

How do scholars split their time between Duke & UNC? Well in a very practical way - they get on the bus. The Robertson Express bus launched as a way to physically unite our two campuses, providing seamless transportation across Durham and Chapel Hill. But it’s more than a bus - it’s an icon for how deep our partnership and collaboration goes. Scholars enjoy full benefits at both institutions - taking classes, picking up additional majors/minors/certificates, as well as any social and extracurricular activities. The Robertson Express looks a little different today but still provides that seamless connection not just for scholars but for other members of the Duke & UNC community as well. Built on Vision. Bound by Purpose. Bolstered by Community.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY TIME!! Community Summer is a signature Robertson experience and has been since day one. Here we see members of the Class of 2022 in Whitesburg, KY - one of our original (and still active!) Community Summer sites. Robertsons say that Community Summer is one of the most transformational experiences they have. During Community Summer scholars work alongside community partners learning first hand about what it takes to make transformational contributions to communities you care deeply about while also negotiating living together and deepening their understanding of the themselves, each other, and the world. We’re incredibly grateful for these sustained partnerships in places that are so dear to the heart of our community. Built on Vision. Bound by Purpose. Bolstered by Community.