Writing the Future: Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships offers a timely and nuanced exploration of fellowships advising. This volume brings together experienced practitioners, scholars, and scholarship foundation representatives to reflect on a rapidly evolving landscape—one shaped by shifting student demographics, emergent technologies, and renewed commitments to student success across a broad spectrum.

The essays in this collection engage deeply with the developmental, rhetorical, and institutional dimensions of nationally competitive awards advising. Topics include appreciative advising, writing strategies, and the complexities of guiding students as they envision and articulate aspirational futures. Contributors examine how fellowship applications serve as tools for student growth, knowledge transfer, and reflection. They also explore how advisors can navigate the tensions between authenticity, institutional representation, and the demands of prestige-based selection processes. Several chapters offer practical guidance on writing effective nomination letters, engaging in selection processes as external reviewers, and cultivating advising practices that are both ethical and empowering. A concluding chapter on NAFA’s history situates these contributions within a broader narrative of professionalization and purpose in the field.

Ideal for new and seasoned advisors alike—as well as faculty, administrators, and foundation partners—this volume affirms the transformative potential of a fellowships advising process that centers on student agency, fosters critical reflection, and reimagines what access to competitive awards can and should mean.

Suzanne McCray serves as vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and nationally competitive awards at the University of Arkansas.

Doug Cutchins is the director of global awards at New York University Abu Dhabi.

Cindy Schaarschmidt serves as executive director of International Education at Pierce College District in Washington State.