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ST. PAUL — Around 35 aspiring leaders will be accepted into the Hubert H. Humphrey ÍáÍáÂþ»­ of Public Affairs 2025-26 cohort, building a diverse subset of current and future Minnesotan change-makers.

While all applicants must live and work primarily in Minnesota, a spotlight is specifically shone upon rural applicants which are less common, according to Bemidji resident Reed Olson who holds the program in high regard.

"If someone applies from this area, they're (likely) going to get selected because so few people apply from rural Minnesota; many people apply from the Twin Cities," Olson explained. "It's accessible to anybody and they really want a balance between those three sectors (public, private/corporate and nonprofit). They want balance between men and women. And then they want balance between urban and rural; Republican and Democrat."

In addition to being a 2019-20 Policy Fellows graduate, Olson is the executive director of the co-owner of Wild Hare Bistro, a former Bemidji City Councilor and former Beltrami County Commissioner. He also ran for Minnesota's House 2A seat in the last two elections.

"It was a dream vacation for someone like me because I got to go and talk to all these people and a lot of them I don't see eye to eye with politically, but they're incredibly intelligent people, and I got to learn a lot from them and from my fellow fellows," he said. "You meet all these wonderful people from all these different walks of life throughout Minnesota. And then as you go on in your career, you've got this network of people."

As an initiative of the Center for the Study of Politics and Government at the University of Minnesota, led by Professor Larry Jacobs, the Policy Fellows program strives to bring people together from all walks of Minnesotan life to discuss policy and politics in nuanced ways with fellows learning skills, building connections and broadening their network across the state with a focus on the public, private/corporate and non-profit sectors of business and office.

The program meets once a month for nine months at the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Additionally, the program has a four day trip to Washington D.C. It is aimed toward those with working experience but has no prerequisites or requirements for entry aside from living and working in the state. It does not however, award college credit, a certificate or a degree.

It costs $9,000 — including trip and lodging to Washington D.C. — though scholarships do exist to help bear the cost.

Those interested in applying should expect to supply basic background information, work history, community involvement, education, interests, awards, two letters of recommendation and three short essay responses alongside any supplemental information.

Olson feels he gained a lot from his experience with the program and believes anyone who owns a business, a nonprofit, is involved with local government or is interested in local government should consider joining this year's cohort.

"I think someone that works for industry in Bemidji would be great from a private perspective," Olson explained. "It doesn't have to be someone that's elected, anyone that's civically engaged or is interested in honing their leadership skills while networking with other amazing people from around the state (is a fit)."

Olson shared about one meeting that included a model UN floor debate where he had to take the position of a Republican for a discussion on cannabis, though he is a self-proclaimed Democrat. He said the experience helped him to set aside any bias and truly step into the shoes of a position he would likely never herald.

"We talked a lot about how to frame an issue, which sounds so simple, but is so important," Olson said. "One of the things that was really great about the program is that it kind of puts you in safe but challenging situations where you have to talk to people that you've come to really like but you really disagree with on some major issues and it was a great opportunity to remind ourselves that we have more in common with our neighbors than we do with the leaders in D.C. regardless of political stripes."

He also noted that the program features a wide swath of guest speakers from Minnesota's political and industrial fields which supplement the program.

"It really did show to me how much public policy affects our lives," said Olson. "There's nothing natural about a neighborhood. It's completely contrived by people and then we have zoning regulations and housing policies that dictate how that neighborhood develops. We control so much of our lives through public policy and I think we underappreciate it.

"This course showed how the sausage is made, not just in the legislature, but throughout society."

Olson's favorite aspect of the program was simply the skills built and connections made.

"I just can't tell you how much fun it is," Olson said. "It's challenging and if you're like me, you love debates; it's just an absolute blast. I would be a fellow every year if I could because it's just such a fun experience."

Applications can be submitted for the Policy Fellows program through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 9, at