O'Pake Experiential Learning
Fellows Program
The OPake Fellows Program provides high-achieving undergraduate and graduate students at 51勛圖 with the ability to work hands-on with entrepreneurs, small businesses, regional partners, and faculty in a truly unique manner. The highly qualified students that enter the program are provided with numerous hours of professional training and mentoring to prepare them to work with our clients. Once trained, they are partnered with specific clients to provide services that match their expertise. The students receive experiential learning opportunities from their work, learn from faculty and subject matter mentors, and deliver quality services to clients.
I like to think of OPake as a place with padded walls, where if you make a mistake, it won't hurt too much. It's great preparation for going into the real world. Anthony Florkowski 25 MBA 27, O'Pake Fellow and Graduate Assistant in Finance
Your OPake Journey
- YEAR 1: DREAM
Discover Your Path
Explore your interests, build foundational skills, and shadow real client work.
- YEAR 2: TRANSFORM
Apply Your Skills
Work on client projects, collaborate with your team, and gain real-world experience.
- YEAR 3 & 4: SOAR
Lead. Mentor. Launch.
Lead projects, mentor others, and launch your career with the confidence and experience to stand out.
FAQs
- When do students apply to become a Fellow?
Students apply during their senior year of high school as part of their college search process.
- Is there a limit to the length of time you can participate?
Fellows participate throughout their entire Alvernia experience from their first year through graduation.
- Are all majors eligible?
Yes, all majors are eligible. Fellows must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA to participate.
"A lot of entry level jobs want two years of experience. But if youve just graduated college, how are you expected to get that? OPake has actually solved that problem. Were completing college with all this experience. Brody DeGroodt 25, former Fellow of Pre-Law
Fellows Programs
Whether you see yourself in a courtroom, boardroom, classroom, or an elected office, youll do the real work behind it - running patent and trademark searches, analyzing contracts, researching how laws and policies actually get made, and shaping community and government initiatives from the ground up. From IP and corporate law to constitutional and criminal law to public policy and government service, youll build the airtight research, writing, and critical-thinking skills every legal and civic career is built on.
Youll work at the frontier of healthcare innovation - supporting biomedical projects, community health initiatives, and the regulatory and FDA pathways that turn medical ideas into real care. Youll learn to navigate complex health systems and make data-informed decisions, the exact skills healthcareleadership careers demand
Youll put the scientific method to work on real problems and real innovations - collecting and analyzing data, testing ideas, and developing solutions that hold up outside the classroom. Whatever your field, youll sharpen the research methodology, analytical thinking, and problemsolving that make scientists indispensable.
Youll design and build - turning sketches into prototypes with CAD and 3D printing, running feasibility and opportunity assessments, and pushing real products toward market. Youll also take on hands-on engineering work like plant efficiency and process-improvement studies, automation, and technology implementation, learning to spot waste, reduce variation, and streamline how things get made. Its the kind of data-driven problem-solving that delivers measurable results for real clients and real, resume-ready experience for you.
Youll bring ideas to life - designing visuals, producing events, and telling multimedia stories for real clients and community partners. From creative direction to audience engagement, youll leave with a portfolio that proves you can take a concept from imagination to the stage, screen, or gallery.
Youll be the numbers behind the business - building financial models, budgets, and pro-forma projections, pressure testing pitch decks, and helping evaluate real venture investments. Working alongside OPakes finance and venture committees, youll develop the analytical and decisionmaking skills that finance, accounting, and management careers run on.
Youll help organizations run better, and teams perform stronger - writing operating procedures, leading team development, or managing events, promotions, and performance analytics in sports and entertainment. Either path builds the leadership, recruitment, and relationship-building skills that keep people and operations moving.
Youll build brands people notice creating social media campaigns, content, logos, and websites, and shaping the strategy behind them for real clients. From copywriting and email marketing to photography, video, and design, youll graduate with a portfolio of published work and the storytelling skills every organization needs.
Youll solve problems with cutting-edge technology - automating tasks, building dashboards, developing software and websites, and analyzing real datasets. Whether youre drawn to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or data science, youll turn technical skills into tangible solutions clients actually use.
Youll work where people and community meet - supporting nonprofits, coordinating outreach and cultural-coalition initiatives, collaborating with local municipalities, and helping secure grant funding that drives local impact. Along the way, youll grow the communication, leadership, and inclusive engagement skills behind every career built on serving others.
Success Stories
O'Pake Fellow set up for professional success after logging 500 consulting hours
Since he started as an OPake Fellow during his first year at 51勛圖, Anthony Florkowski 25, MBA 27 says his communication and project management skills have made a 180-degree change for the better, setting him up for success in the...
O'Pake Institute work helps MBA student stockpile experience for future career
In his years at 51勛圖, Brody DeGroodt 25 has had many rich experiences four years as a baseball player, academic excellence that included the History Achievement Award at the Honors Convocation, and deep friendships.But perhaps th...
