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President Bill Clinton:"The White House Fellows program is
one of the few things in this intensely partisan town that we have
managed to make truly bipartisan. It has thrived now under seven
presidents, and if I could turn it into a virus, I would put it into a
shot and give it to everybody who is now working in Washington, DC."
Colin Powell (class of 1972-73):"What I learned as a White
House Fellow was the key to the opportunities that came my way. I know
of no other program that provides such a learning experience...I found
that the task of a military leader is really not that different from the
task of the political leaders I observed in Washington. In both worlds,
a leader needs to get people to work together to accomplish things."
Dana G. Mead, Chairman and CEO, Tenneco, Inc. (class of
1970-71):"I went from a bunker under fire in the DMZ to writing a
memo to the President on school desegregation in a period of three weeks.
A White House Fellow has an incomparable opportunity to learn government
quickly by being part of it."
Joe Barton, Member of Congress, 6th District of Texas (class of
1981-82):"Every day in the Congress, I put to practical use the
knowledge I gained from my year as a White House Fellow."
Julia Taft, foreign disaster relief coordinator (class of
1970-71):"You learn that people who have achieved high office
and done other great things are just people--hard-working but normal.
You see that if you have an idea for filling a vacuum and the energy to
pursue it, you can succeed."
John Gardner, founder, Common Cause:"For almost a century, the
most distinguished fellowship a young American could win has been the
Rhodes Scholarship, designed by a British financier and statesman and
administered by Oxford University. If America is ever to have a program
to rival the Rhodes in prestige,. it will no doubt be the program of the
White House Fellows."
Paul Antony, medical student (class of 1993-94):"This program
is a great example of why countries around the world still admire the
U.S. for the opportunities it makes available to all of its citizens.
You don't have to come from a certain family or have wealth or have
worked on a particular campaign to get the opportunity to work with the
senior leadership of our country. You only have to be willing to work
hard and have demonstrated some commitment to serving your community."
Larry Berger, author (class of 1994-95):"I was surprised and
thrilled to find that Washington is full of people who love what they
do--and who do it for the loftiest reasons."
