A competitive two-year fellowship connecting ambitious underclassmen to the careers, networks, and opportunities in public service they wouldn't otherwise know to pursue.
No student organization at Clemson currently prepares underclassmen for careers in public service and government. Existing programs serve different audiences. The Opus Society fills that gap by catching students early, before they've missed application windows or assumed those careers weren't available to them.
"Public service isn't something you do. It's something you build over a lifetime."
The word opus means work, but not work in the ordinary sense. In Latin, it carries the weight of a life's labor. It is a body of achievement. It is a sustained effort toward something larger than any single task. Composers use it to number their most significant pieces. Opus 1, Opus 2 : each one a milestone in a career-long conversation between the artist and their craft.
We chose the name deliberately. The students we're looking for are thinking about what they want to spend their lives building and they understand that public service is a calling rather than a career move. The Opus Society exists to help them begin that body of work at Clemson, before the doors close and ambition collapses.
"The Opus Society prepares high-potential underclassmen for careers in public service, policy, law, and government by building the pipeline that Clemson deserves."
The Opus Society runs on a four-semester curriculum. Semester 1 is the Foundation Track, which builds the professional floor in one semester. Semesters 2, 3, and 4 are the Accelerator Track: three semesters to translate preparation into tangible outcomes. Every semester has a defined focus, which requires strict programming and deliverables that build on the last. Expand any semester to see the full curriculum.
Semester 1
Building the professional floor through enhanced skills, vocabulary, and awareness needed to compete for public service opportunities.
Semester 2
Track declared. Programming becomes specialized. First substantive professional work begins.
Semester 3
Fellows have the foundation and the track. Now they execute.
Semester 4
Fellows reflect and present their best work as they begin transitioning into alumni status.
Beginning in Semester 2, fellows declare a career track that shapes their mentorship, deliverables, and professional connections. Expand any track to see careers, fellowships, and skills.
Preparation for public interest law, civil rights, federal prosecution, and policy litigation. Emphasis on legal writing and advocacy skills.
Public defender · Civil rights attorney · Federal prosecutor · ACLU · DOJ
Preparation for federal agency work, congressional staffing, and think tanks. Emphasis on policy analysis and memo writing.
Congressional staffer · Policy analyst · Federal agency · Think tank researcher
Preparation for diplomacy, national security, and international development. Emphasis on foreign policy analysis and regional expertise.
Foreign Service · State Department · International NGO · National security
The Opus Society is student-led and student-run, governed by an Executive Board responsible for organizational strategy, program delivery, member selection, and institutional continuity.
President
Bio added soon.
Vice President
Bio added soon.
Director of Recruitment & Mentorship
Bio added soon.
Director of Programming & Logistics
Bio added soon.
Director of Communication
Bio added soon.
Director of Finance
Bio added soon.
Josiah and Claire founded the Opus Society in 2026. As Founding Advisors, they guide the organization's vision and institutional memory.
Co-Founder & Founding Advisor
Josiah Macchi is a co-founder of the Opus Society. He serves as Head Delegate of Clemson's Model United Nations program and is affiliated with the Clemson International Relations Association and the William T. Howell Pre-Law Society. He currently conducts undergraduate research on China's rising economic influence under Dr. Xiaobo Hu in the Department of Political Science. His academic interests center on international relations and diplomacy, with a particular focus on the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies. He plans to attend law school with the goal of practicing either public defense or international law.
Co-Founder & Founding Advisor
Claire Kovan is a co-founder of the Opus Society. She is a Senior Sociology major with a minor in Legal Studies. After graduating, she plans to attend law school and pursue international law. Her academic interests lie in diplomacy, which she developed in Clemson's Model United Nations, and the interaction of social systems with law. Outside of Opus, she is a member of Gamma Phi Beta, in the William T. Howell Pre-Law Society, volunteers with Pickens County Advocacy Center, and interns with the South Carolina Legislative Council.
Board members serve one-year terms running from fall through spring. Elections are held each April, ensuring new leadership is confirmed before the academic year ends and has the full summer to prepare before leading fall recruitment.
April
Elections Held
Current fellows vote for the incoming Executive Board before the spring semester closes.
May
Transition Period
Outgoing board completes transition documents and meets with each successor over the summer.
August
New Board Takes Over
Incoming board begins full ownership during which recruitment, tabling, and fall programming preparations are underway.
April
Cycle Repeats
Board completes its full fall-to-spring term and the next election cycle opens.
No. You need genuine curiosity and a clear sense of direction, but not a fully formed plan. Many of the best Opus applicants are students who know they're drawn to public service but haven't yet figured out whether that means law, government, or international work. That's exactly what Year One is designed to help you figure out.
Yes. We know you're a first or second year. We are not expecting a fully developed professional record. We're looking at your trajectory, how you write, what you're curious about, and whether you have the potential to make the most of two years in this fellowship. A sparse resume does not disqualify you.
Yes, within reason. Opus is not designed to be your entire extracurricular life. Fellows are expected to meet 80% attendance, maintain mentorship cadence, and complete deliverables, but these requirements are designed to be manageable alongside coursework, jobs, and other activities.
No dues. Membership in the Opus Society is free. Any optional programming with associated costs, such as a travel component, will be subsidized to the extent our funding allows. We are committed to ensuring that financial circumstance is not a barrier to full participation.
Yes, with one caveat: the fellowship requires a two-year commitment. If you are not accepted as a first-year, you may reapply as a sophomore, but not beyond that. We encourage applicants who aren't accepted to request feedback and reapply the following year if eligible.
Interviews are brief and conversational, lasting typically 30 to 45 minutes with one or two members of the Executive Board. We want to get a sense of who you are, why you're applying, and whether the fellowship is the right fit for where you're trying to go.
Most student organizations at Clemson are communities, in which you join, you attend, you network. Opus is a program with a defined two-year curriculum, assigned mentorship, and real deliverables. The goal is not just to connect you with other students who share your interests, but rather to get you into competitive federal opportunities by the time you graduate.
Fellows who complete both years in good standing are designated Opus Alumni and are invited to participate in mentorship and guest programming on an ongoing basis. The alumni network is still being built, but developing a strong alumni base is a core long-term goal of the organization.
The Opus Society recruits annually each fall. Applications are competitive and intentionally selective. We admit a cohort of 25. Open to first and second year students with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Late August
Applications open
Mid-September
Application deadline
Late September
Finalist interviews; decisions communicated
October
Orientation and Year One programming begins
Applications include a resume, personal statement, and short-answer questions.
Finalists will be invited to an interview with the Executive Board members.
