Vanguard Fellowship
The Vanguard Fellowship is an elite leadership accelerator for undergraduates and recent graduates (20–25) who want hands-on experience and a long-term career pathway in education through a true partnership with Lionheart Coaching Academy.
The Details
You’re not coming in as “just an intern.”
You’re stepping into a developmental partnership where you and Lionheart’s executive team work together to build a transformational education program.
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The Fellowship begins with a six-month, unpaid co-building phase, where:
You bring the vision, creativity, and leadership
Lionheart brings the experience, infrastructure, and executive guidance
You are not building alone — and you’re not being handed a pre-made program.
This is joint development, rooted in shared ownership and shared responsibility.
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Once your program launches, you begin earning. You keep 100% of your first $5,000 in revenue from the program you co-created. After that, you enter a 50/50 profit partnership, with a clear path to a full-time Program Director role within Lionheart.
This isn’t a salary.
This is a partnership track → earnings → profit share → full-time leadership role.
The Fellowship is designed to become your first full-time job during college or immediately after graduation — built on a program you and Lionheart built together and continue to grow as partners.
The Vanguard Difference: Partnership Grows Leaders
Most young adults spend years waiting for permission to lead. You won’t be waiting here. You’ll be building — together — from day one.
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By 20–25, most young adults are hoping someone finally gives them a chance. You?
You’re already stepping into partnership-level leadership.
You take on a director-level assignment where your ideas shape strategy, your decisions influence outcomes, and your leadership contributes to a program that impacts students across the country.
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During your six-month unpaid partnership build, you develop your education program alongside experienced leaders who have built multiple programs before you. You maintain creative ownership, while receiving the scaffolding and support needed to build something sustainable.
When your program launches, you keep 100% of your first $5,000 — your first earnings as a partner in the work you’ve co-created.
This isn’t résumé padding.
This is applied leadership in a collaborative environment.
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where you’re supported, challenged, and guided by people who have already walked the road you’re stepping into.
That’s what makes the Vanguard Fellowship different.
We don’t put you in a corner to “figure it out.”
We don’t hand you meaningless tasks.
We give you:
A seat at the table
A real assignment
Direct collaboration with senior leaders
A role that grows into a long-term partnership
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Co-build, launch, and lead a real education program
Work alongside Lionheart’s executive team (not underneath them)
Operate with shared ownership and shared responsibility
Develop executive-level thinking and decision-making
Grow in a safe, guided environment where your voice matters
Create a leadership portfolio grounded in real outcomes
Move from partner-in-training → revenue partner → director
This is the kind of early-career opportunity most people never get.
And it’s intentionally built that way.
REVENUE PARTNERSHIP MODEL
Mya here, VP of Enrollments and Institutional Partnerships.
I began working with Founder and CEO Nicole Olaniyi in 2020 during my senior year of college. I joined as an intern—ambitious, thoughtful, and passionate about education, but unsure where to begin or how to turn that passion into meaningful impact.
From day one, I had a voice at the table. Nicole didn’t treat me like an intern; she treated me like someone with potential. I received direct mentorship, but I also had real influence, real responsibility, and real support.
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My internship wasn’t administrative; it was immersive and collaborative. I learned what it takes to build a program, serve clients, and scale a business from the ground up—with guidance, but never micromanagement. I was trusted to contribute, trusted to lead, and trusted to grow.
At that time, Nicole was leading a consulting practice for social impact founders. It was this early work—and the space she created for me to co-think and co-create—that eventually evolved into what is now Lionheart Coaching Academy.
After completing graduate school in 2023, I transitioned from intern to a full-time Career & Program Development Specialist. In that role, I stepped into greater responsibility, expanded my leadership capacity, and began discovering where my gifts created the deepest impact—all while continuing to have a supportive executive partner in the work.
Within a year, in 2024, I was promoted to Director of Outreach, where I streamlined relationships with schools and education leaders, increased community engagement, and helped hundreds of families understand how students can attend college debt free. I led workshops, attended parent events, and spoke with more than 50 families about their visions and dreams for their children’s futures. I wasn’t just executing tasks—I was shaping strategy with guidance and support behind me.
Then came 2025.
In 2025, I became Lionheart’s Vice President of Enrollment & Institutional Partnerships. This promotion elevated my work into full executive leadership, expanding my responsibility across every major program. It also positioned me to co-build all three of Lionheart’s flagship education initiatives:
Full-Ride Formula
Merit Money Method
Black Founders Formula
I didn’t just support these programs—I helped shape them. I partnered with Nicole and our team on the messaging, curriculum, delivery systems, partnerships, community initiatives, and operational infrastructure that make these programs work today. My voice mattered. My leadership mattered. And the support I received allowed me to grow at a pace most people never experience this early in their careers.
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I didn’t wait ten years for a promotion. I didn’t grind through five assistant roles hoping to be noticed.
I had a mentor who trusted me, an environment that valued my voice, and a partnership that gave me room to build—not just follow.
This realization is the heart behind the Lionheart Vanguard Fellowship.
I helped create this fellowship because I want young leaders to have what I had:
A space where emerging talent is recognized early, supported meaningfully, and trusted with real responsibility and real impact.
A place where your voice is heard, your ideas are valued, and your growth is intentional.
A place where you don’t have to “wait your turn,” because you’re being prepared to contribute from day one.
A place where you can build with guidance, not struggle alone.
That’s the vision of the Vanguard Fellowship:
one leader, one assignment, and a partnership that empowers you to make extraordinary impact far earlier than you ever imagined.
FELLOWSHIP TIMELINE
TOP 5 BENEFITS OF THE
VANGUARD FELLOWSHIP
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You aren’t on your own and you’re not executing someone else’s idea.
You co-build the program with Lionheart’s leadership.
You get founder-level experience early.
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You receive one-on-one executive development from CEO Nicole Olaniyi and hands-on support from Lionheart’s leadership team.
You’re not supervised like an intern.
You’re developed like a partner.
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While your peers are stuck in entry-level positions, you’re collaborating with executives, building systems, shaping strategy, and leading operations.
In 18 months, you gain a decade of leadership experience.
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Your results shape your earnings.
You keep 100% of your first $5K, then shift into a 50/50 partnership.
You earn like a builder — not an assistant.
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You bring the vision.
We bring the structure.
Together, we build something sustainable.
Lionheart provides:
Branding
Operations
Systems
Creative support
Curriculum guidance
Strategy mentoring
You’re not guessing — you’re growing.
WHAT LIONHEART PROVIDES
Executive mentorship
Branding, design, and creative assets
Curriculum co-development
Marketing and messaging support
Operational systems and tech setup
Access to Lionheart’s educational ecosystem
You are not “figuring it out on your own.”
You are co-building with a team invested in your success.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
You might be the next Vanguard Fellow if you are:
A top-performing undergraduate or recent graduate (20–25)
Enrolled in or recently graduated from an accredited university
Visionary, disciplined, and purpose-driven
Experienced in leadership, entrepreneurship, or student initiatives
Hungry to learn and ready to collaborate
Someone who thrives in partnership-based environments
VANGUARD DISTINCTION
HOW TO APPLY
Applications for the 2026 Vanguard Fellow open December 2025 and close January 30, 2026. Interested candidates can join the interest list now to be notified as soon as applications go live.