Luca Fanucchi, a political science major from Fresno, California, participated in the Tocqueville Fellowship for five semesters during his time at Notre Dame and has served as a Writing Fellow with the Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government for the past two years. Reflecting on the fellowship’s unique role in his education, Luca commented, “My experience in the Tocqueville Fellowship has been meaningful because it has allowed me to meet the statesmen and scholars that I admire and read about in my other classes. I remember when I met Ron DeSantis. I actually got to sit down and talk with him. Nobody else gives undergrad students those kinds of opportunities. There’s truly nothing like the Tocqueville Fellowship.”
Some of Luca’s favorite parts of the fellowship are the conversations it facilitated. He recalled, “This semester I enjoyed attending all of the colloquia—we had a great group of students and ideological diversity among everyone. The discussions were always passionate, respectful, and informed, aspects of it that not only made it a comfortable experience for everyone, but a rich conversation.”
Luca also especially appreciated “how the Tocqueville Fellowship complements what you learn in your classes. It’s much more targeted, and it allowed me to zoom in on the texts that I really liked.” The classes applied to everyday life—“I felt that it kind of gave me a head start. I knew that my involvement in the fellowship was helping me learn what my professors were teaching me.”
Luca especially enjoyed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s visit this semester, finding it to be “really inspirational”: “He did a great job defending scientific freedom and academic rigor. He inspired me by talking about sacrificing material goods and respect for something that they were passionate about.”
Following graduation, Luca plans to “go to law school.” He emphasized, “The Tocqueville Fellowship has prepared me in many ways for this [path], namely, it has taught me how to reason. You can’t make an argument in the fellowship and get away with faulty reasoning — either Professor Muñoz or one of the fellows will call you out for it! It’s made me more careful as a thinker and debater. And I can be confident when I argue a point because I know how to back it up.”
Christian Yerelekian, a political science and Chinese student originally from Los Angeles, California, has been deeply involved with the CCCG for much of his time in college, not only as a Tocqueville Fellow, but as a student intern as well. Looking back through his two semesters of being a Tocqueville Fellow, Christian commented that “[the fellowship] has allowed [him] the chance to connect with a group of peers who are like-minded in their academic pursuits—people who want to engage in important and intellectual discussions.” Besides his peers, Christian claims that the fellowship has been “instrumental in shaping [his] career interests, reminding him of the importance of working toward the common good.”
When asked about his favorite speakers that the Tocqueville Fellowship has allowed him to encounter, two distinguished guests came to Christian’s mind. First, he mentioned Fr. Henry Stephan, O.P., a Ph.D. student at the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute: “I enjoyed Fr. Henry’s colloquium in which we discussed ‘The Statesman as a Thinker.’ The conversation we had as a cohort was an incredibly interesting one, with everyone giving their input. I can say with confidence that it was my favorite colloquium as a Tocqueville Fellow.” Additionally, he recalled another CCCG event that stuck out to him: “I really enjoyed Daniel Mark’s lecture on his book, The Nature of Law. His area of study is something I find deeply interesting and want to pursue in my career. I thought that his lecture was not only engaging, but affirmed my interest in the subject as well.”
Christian also spoke about the social events that Tocqueville offers: “The social events in which we get to bond with each other outside of a professional setting are also very crucial for the trust among the fellows. We all share common academic interests, but it is nice to see how the conversation continues when there is no topic or leader to guide us.” Christian also appreciated moments with the director of this program, Tyler Castle. He noted, “It was very nice to go to Tyler’s house at the end of the semester. Getting to know Tyler and his wife more personally adds to the community feeling that we all have at Tocqueville.”
Christian highlighted the importance of academic, civil dialogue, something that this fellowship has given him. He elaborated, “Something really important that this fellowship brought to light for me was the importance of discussion, and how there is a correct way to go about it. Unfortunately, in today’s world, it is really difficult to engage in conversations with people of opposing views.” However, he found that this is not the case in the Tocqueville Fellowship: “In Tocqueville, just by the nature of the discussions and debates that take place, differing viewpoints are often introduced, which is a great thing. This also allows for fellows to be engaged with those of opposing viewpoints respectfully—which strengthens or challenges their own beliefs most of the time.” Christian experienced this himself on many occasions: “The respect that we have in Tocqueville has encouraged me to engage with people whom I do not particularly agree with, but gives me the confidence that even if I do not think my articulation skills are up to par, that no one is judging.”
He closed by outlining his plans for after graduation, “As of now, I plan to stay in South Bend for my gap year and work at the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office. After that, I will attend law school.” He connects these plans back to the CCCG. “Both the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government and the Tocqueville Fellowship were integral in helping me solidify the career field I am pursuing. The Constitutional Studies classes, lectures, and colloquia have allowed me to keep learning about law and have shown me what mature discussions look like. Every single opportunity that the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government has offered has never fallen short.”
Will Grannis, an honors mathematics and theology major from Chevy Chase, Maryland, returned for his last of two semesters as a Tocqueville Fellow this spring. Reflecting on the community he has encountered as a fellow, Will recalled the ways that his experience improved his education: “Being a Tocqueville Fellow this past year has been an unparalleled capstone to my time as a Constitutional Studies minor. The Fellowship has allowed me to dialogue with peers and thought-leaders in a way that has changed not only what I think about issues but the questions I ask myself when forming opinions about them.”
When prompted with a question about which CCCG events impacted him most, he first turned to a recent event: “The ability to speak to two federal attorneys central to the January 6th prosecutions gave me a broader view of the issue and changed my mind somewhat on the matter.” Another speaker that stood out to him was the Mayor of South Bend, James Mueller. He said, “Meeting with the mayor of South Bend gave me a better appreciation for the necessity of subsidiarity and a better understanding of the corrosive effect that nationalized issues can have on local politics.”
He also recalled his opportunity to speak to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last semester during the Statesmanship Dinner— “Hearing Ron DeSantis speak to us one-on-one changed significantly the way that I think about the proper relationship of federal and state government, both constitutionally and in terms of partisan identity.
Looking to the future, Grannis plans to get married in September to another former Tocqueville Fellow. Leading up to that happy occasion, he will work for TransMarket Group in Chicago as a junior quantitative trader on their “off-the-run” treasury desk. Will spoke about how his experiences with the Center have prepared him to take this next step: “I think that the Tocqueville Fellowship has given me a better understanding of how our government works, especially in the edge cases—something relevant to treasury bonds.”
Learn more about the Tocqueville Fellowship program on our website.