Cortico on Campus—Apply Now!

Join a national fellowship of students leading a new kind of conversation
Get paid to build skills in active listening, facilitation, and community organizing
Lead small-group conversations focused on lived experiences—not just opinions
Create voice medleys and conversation maps that elevate student perspectives
Explore new AI-supported tools that help make sense of conversations at scale

Listen to a voice medley from student leaders who helped us create this program

Lead a New Kind of Conversation

Join a national fellowship of students that are leading a new kind of campus conversation.

This is more than just talk—it’s a method for better understanding, with concrete (and fun!) outputs like conversation maps and voice medleys. The goal is to help you and your peers on campus hear and be heard.

Starting with sharing experiences in small groups, you’ll make sense of conversations through a deep listening process supported by AI tools. You’ll share the big picture of what fellow students are saying—with audio medleys that incorporate real voices—extending the power of small-group dialogue long after the conversation ends.

Bring real talk and real listening to your campus with Cortico’s 3 step process:

APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 30, 2025

Project Overview

Join a growing cohort of students across the country who are leading a new kind of campus conversation. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, this fellowship will equip you with the training and technology to turn small-group conversations into actionable insight.

Background

Cortico on Campus launched in Spring 2025 with a founding group of 13 fellows from around the country who designed and kicked off conversation projects at their schools. While those projects are still in early stages, students have begun hosting conversations, exploring community challenges, and piloting ideas—from amplifying identity-based student experiences to improving campus mental health culture. As part of the next wave, you’ll build on that momentum—launching your own conversation project while joining a growing network of students using tech-enhanced conversations to spark change on campus.

Explore project ideas

Make student organizations more inclusive
Improve dorm life by encouraging connective conversations
Shape the work culture in your on-campus job
Bring your friend group together to talk about a topic important to you
...or any project that addresses a need or opportunity on your campus!

Sample project descriptions from current fellows:

We hope to host conversations that invite students to reflect on moments of uncertainty, clarity, and belonging during their time at UW-Madison. The goal is to create a space where people can share how they’ve navigated change, found connection, and made sense of their path. By exploring these themes together, students may feel more grounded in their experiences and more connected to one another. – Student team at UW-Madison
Our project plan is to highlight the different experiences of those living in our town, Chapel Hill. We hope to connect residents in the community and students on-campus with one another through conversations and shared activities, with the goal of creating more understanding and empathy between neighbors. – Student team at UNC-Chapel Hill and WXYC radio hosts
I want to host conversations about how to build a community after graduation. It will focus on how recent graduates maintain old friendships, form new ones, and find support in new environments. – Senior, Public Relations, University of Delaware
As I completed the Cortico on Campus fellowship, I felt that the technology would seamlessly blend in with Cornell’s Intergroup Dialogue course. As I mentioned in my application and throughout our sessions, the course is built on the foundation of “assuming good intent, but naming impact.” Having taken the course, I see several ways that Cortico’s technology could improve discussion and even shape future assignments. Finally, as the course is part of the Center for Dialogue and Pluralism and integrated in many aspects of campus life, I see a Cortico connection as the beginning of a long-lasting partnership. – Junior, Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University

What you’ll gain from taking part

Elevate your skills in leadership, project design, and conversation hosting & analysis
Learn how to listen & share findings across campus communities—through understanding perspectives different from your own, and building empathy and trust around important issues
Earn Cortico’s Sensemaking Certificate as you develop an understanding of the design, approach, and analysis of constructive conversation campaigns
Connect, work, and learn with Cortico professionals from various disciplines including product management & design, engineering, program development, and marketing
Join a growing network of constructive conversation practitioners, with opportunities to present your work in collaboration with MIT Center for Constructive Communication

Stipend

Selected students will receive up to $2,500 in total funding. This includes a stipend to compensate you for your time and leadership, as well as a budget to support project-related expenses.

Selection Criteria

You’re a great fit if:

You’re motivated to spark meaningful conversations on your campus around issues that matter to your community
You have experience with, or curiosity about, community organizing, leadership, or peer engagement
You’re eager to develop skills in facilitation, storytelling, or multimedia content creation
You’re excited to grow your leadership capacity through a paid learning experience
You’re open to learning how AI-supported tools can help analyze conversations and surface insights
You can commit 5-7 hours per month to project work and cohort learning opportunities

Submission Process

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 30, 2025 in the lead-up to the program’s launch in October 2025. Candidates will be notified of application receipt within 4 business days of their submission. As part of the application process, all eligible applicants will be required to have a 30-minute interview with members of the Cortico team and provide one faculty reference.

You can apply to this fellowship either as an individual or as a team of up to 4 students. Individuals or teams can be club-affiliated (such as Student Government) or independent. If you are applying as a team, one person must be listed as the primary contact.

Preview application questions on our FAQs page under The Program

Timeline

This program follows a two-phase approach that will run from October 2025 – May 2026

PHASE 1: OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2025

Gain practical experience in dialogue program leadership, tech-enhanced conversation analysis, and community engagement by implementing your own project.

Phase 1 Workshop Schedule: Tuesdays, 2:30–4pm EST

October 7: Program Kickoff!
October 14: Conversation Co-Design
October 28: Facilitation & Outreach
November 11: Codestorming & Codebook Development
November 18: Tagging Practice
December 2: Medley Making & Synthesis

PHASE 2: JANUARY 2026 – MAY 2026

Opportunity to sustain your own campus-specific conversation program, addressing questions unique to your campus environment with Cortico’s support.
If you choose to sustain your program, you will receive an additional $500 stipend and have the opportunity to apply to present at MIT Center for Constructive Communication’s Annual Symposium in May 2026

Questions?

Check out our FAQs or send a message to campus@cortico.ai

Selected applicants will be working closely with the non-profit Cortico

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About Cortico

Cortico is a nonprofit organization that works in close collaboration with MIT Center for Constructive Communication (MIT CCC). Cortico’s vision is to surface underheard voices rather than the loudest; facilitate sharing experiences rather than battling opinions; and promote empathy and connection rather than division and intolerance. Since our founding, we’ve partnered with over 250 organizations to deliver a tech-enhanced conversation approach, empowering them to listen deeply to the voices in their community, make sense of them, and inspire more informed action.

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