Leadership U.
As this class graduates, PCF prepares for a new class of leaders to join. The application process begins June 1. Candidates for the fellowship must be in their late 20s to early 40s, and possess strong leadership qualities and a mind toward community service. Application is free and can be done on the website pacificcenturyfellows.com. All applicants will be screened from their entries, and those chosen will go before a 16-member panel made up of community leaders and former PCFers, who unanimously must select them.
Dues are $3,500, but there is financial aid available, and all fellows must be available for their selection Aug. 29, and for their opening retreat at Turtle Bay Sept. 25 and 26.
The minimum commitment is one weekday a month, although most groups find themselves getting together much more often. This program is built for people who already have a hectic schedule, and PCF alumni feel it is something you need to clear space for in your life.
“Everybody thinks they don’t have any extra time,” says Uptain, “but I would say that everyone in this program is extremely busy, but it is worth it to make time for the program.”
Getting a sense of the program from the outside is difficult, but the value of it was so great that Da Kitchen owner Mariah Brown commuted in from Maui to participate.
“People try to explain to you what this PCF thing is, but you can’t explain how amazing it is until you are put in front of all these people, the true leaders of the community, the people that make our community work,” says Brown.
Even though their year is over, they are now part of a group that stretches back nearly two decades, and those connections will continue to help them grow their businesses and lives into the future.
“It not only fattens the Rolodex, but as much as getting things done is about who you know, it is the quality of the relationships that is different with this program,” says Twer.
“There are 30 people in this program who I will lie down in the street for.”
