Learn by doing, not just talking
Run real experiments, work on real problems, face meaningful stakes, and reflect on what the experience teaches you.
Program
The LeapYear Experience
Ask great questions. Learn by doing.
Outcomes
Who you are becoming
We measure success by the person you become. By the end of this year, you will be:
Confident
Able to name who you are, what matters to you, and why your next step fits.
High agency
Ready to move from waiting for answers to running thoughtful experiments.
Deeply known
Surrounded by coaches, mentors, and peers who know your story and call you forward.
An authentic leader
Prepared to lead yourself, lead others, and lead meaningful change.
Spiritually grounded
Rooted in practices and convictions that can sustain a life of purpose.
Design principles
How we do it
We believe this generation needs a new pathway to launch. Our philosophy is built on five counter-cultural pillars.
Formation over information
Knowledge matters, but wisdom and character are the trellis that make long-term growth possible.
Exemplars over experts
Learn from people whose lives are worth imitating—how they treat people, make decisions, and integrate faith with work.
Community is the curriculum
Transformation happens when you are known, loved, challenged, and responsible to people walking beside you.
High expectations and high support
We set a bar worthy of your potential and walk with you as you learn to reach it.
“Little did I know that these people I met would end up being some of the most amazing people I could ask to walk through the next year with.”
The three strands
What you’ll learn
Our curriculum is an integrated weave of three core strands. You don’t take these as separate classes—you live them simultaneously.
01. Career Design
The career flywheel helps answer one of life’s difficult questions: “What should I do with my life?”
Know yourselfGet curiousFocusTalk to peopleTry stuffReflectRepeat
You will run this cycle repeatedly—conducting professional interviews, launching prototypes, and building a portfolio of real work. You stop planning and start designing.
02. Leadership Foundations
The world is full of people with credentials but no character. We start with the latter.
Lead selfLead othersLead change
Build personal rhythms, lead collaborative projects without relying on positional authority, and learn to cast vision and mobilize resources to solve real problems.
03. Spiritual Formation
Create practices and a rule of life that are an antidote to the attention economy and anxiety.
CreationFallRedemptionRestoration
Practice ancient disciplines—silence, examen, Sabbath, and hospitality—that help you resist counterfeit stories and find your identity in God.
What you’ll do
The rhythm of the year
The year moves through three distinct seasons—from inward reflection to outward action.
Fall
Phase 1: Foundations
Know yourselfStart with a phone-free launch retreat, build deep community, run curiosity sprints, and synthesize your wiring, values, aptitudes, and story.
Spring
Phase 2: Exploration
Solution-based experimentsMove outward. Identify aches in the world, design projects to address them, deepen your professional network, and plan a student-led international service trip.
Summer
Phase 3: Application
Execution and capstoneComplete a high-fidelity capstone project, assemble your portfolio, and present your work and growth to mentors, family, and the community.
What to expect in your LeapYear
Explore the events and rhythms students experience throughout the year.
Explore Life at LeapYear- Launch retreatAugust
- Curiosity sprintsFall
- 12 conversationsWinter
- International experienceSpring
- CapstoneSummer
- ShowcaseMay
Ready to design your way forward?
Applications are open for the 2026–27 cohort in Austin. Enrollment is limited to 24 students.