Leaders and Stewards: Seth Ellington on Paying it Forward

The Caldwell Fellows Program is made possible by the generous support of donors. All of the deeply immersive, high-impact programming we provide — our monthly dinner seminars, Urban Adventures trips, Wilderness Expeditions, Global Perspectives trips, Experiential Learning Grants, and individual coaching and mentoring — exists thanks to the investment of alumni and friends like Seth Ellington.

For this post, we invited Seth Ellington, a member of the Caldwell Class of 2019 and currently a Financial Advisor at Equitable Advisors, to share a little bit about what inspires him to give his time, talent, testimony, and treasure to the program. This is what he had to say.

A recent reflection on giving shared by Tori Collins highlighted a phrase epitomizing the mindset of a Caldwell Fellow: to those who have been given much, much is expected. Such an attitude is not only informed by individual character traits — humility, gratitude, integrity — but also derived from a sense of belonging to something greater. In the Caldwell community, this “something greater” is felt from the moment of selection. It’s in the cohort of your classmates, in the purpose-filled programs of leadership development, and in the network of brilliant alumni.

For me, this immediate sense of belonging was facilitated by my first stipend experience. The summer after my freshman year, I proceeded to take an international service-learning trip with six other students who were strangers to me mere months before! On my own, I never would have flown to Guanajuato, Mexico and explored its beautiful cities and quaint communities — one of which changed my perspective on immigration forever. Yet I was emboldened to make the trip because I was part of a like-minded group who quickly became friends.

We remain accountable as stewards because others gave of their time and treasure so that we might become the kind of human beings who would do the same.

While involvement in this Caldwell community is top of mind while in college, after graduation, our focus moves to how we will each fulfill our respective missions. This is good and natural, yet risks neglecting our responsibility to not only be servant leaders, but replicate servant leadership through stewardship. We remain accountable as stewards because others gave of their time and treasure so that we might become the kind of human beings who would do the same. So how will we conduct ourselves as recipients of this generosity? As both leaders and stewards?

There are several options. One is to pay no mind and ignore any ongoing responsibility to the Caldwell Fellows. You might admit how you have personally benefited from the program, but not think about how the program actively needs your participation in its ongoing mission. Another response is to acknowledge what you have been given but view it as a debt to pay back begrudgingly. Maybe you feel an obligation to the program, a guilt trip that you alleviate by a “guilt tip,” where pressure subsides until the next dreaded Day of Giving. I confess that I have explored these options through personal experience and found both methods wanting. Instead, I recommend a third option: paying it forward.

What is the proper response to generosity? It is gratitude.

What is the proper response to generosity? It is gratitude. We did not borrow from the program; there is nothing to repay. But we can choose to make the investment in others that was first made in us. Someone gave so that I could go on that service-learning trip; I have the opportunity to give so that a future Caldwell can go as well! Let’s continue to participate in and preserve a culture of giving rooted in love, joy, and gratitude. And let’s pay it forward to the next generation of conscientious, globally-minded servant leaders. After all, to those who have been given much, much is expected.

Join Us on Day of Giving

NC State’s Day of Giving is March 25, 2026 — a focused day of philanthropy across our university community. If the work of Caldwell Fellows inspires you and it is within your capacity, we encourage you to give to the Caldwell Fellows Fund to ensure we can continue to provide the exceptional experiential leadership development the program is known for. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference in the lives of students discovering their potential as servant leaders. You can learn more about supporting the program by visiting https://caldwellfellows.ncsu.edu/2026-day-of-giving/.

Seth currently serves on the Caldwell Fellows Alumni Philanthropy Committee.