As senior year rolls around, students begin navigating the college application process, marked by long nights of essays and the dreams that come with them. While many follow a traditional college admissions path centered on standardized measures of achievement, Coral Gables Senior High School senior Beatrice Stampino-Strain took a more personal, collaboration-based selection route through the Posse Scholarship Program. Out of more than 14,000 applicants in Miami, her journey led her to earn the prestigious full-ride scholarship to Pomona College in Claremont, California, as just one of 60 students chosen.
Towards the end of her junior year, Stampino-Strain began researching the Posse Scholarship after attending a presentation from Gables alum and Posse Foundation representative Jake Paz. Although she was already familiar with the program through her older brother, Gables alum and Posse scholar at Pomona, Lawrence Stampino-Strain, she did not initially envision herself pursuing the opportunity. As she learned more about Posse‘s emphasis on community impact and leadership, Stampino-Strain leaped at the chance to explore the opportunities the scholarship could offer.
“I had no clue how much prestige the program had, and how great of a community the Posse scholarship is until I was introduced to it at the presentation, so it definitely piqued my interest. [Although] at first I was hesitant, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to choose the same path my brother did because I had no prior research about the school and I didn’t know how good of a school Pomona was,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
After expressing interest in the program during Gables’ College Admissions Readiness Symposium, Stampino-Strain learned she could be nominated by her counselor or a Posse Alum. In her case, she was nominated by college advisor, Ms. Sanz, with her brother backing the nomination. With the support from both her counselor and brother, she continued the application process, taking his advice to heart.
“If it isn’t obvious enough, I admire my brother a lot. He is one of my best friends, and the main piece of advice he always tells me is that essentially, you’re your biggest supporter. He tells me ‘If no one has your back, make sure that you do,'” senior Stampino-Strain said.
Following her nomination, Stampino-Strain took the next step, officially entering the Posse Scholarship application process during her senior year. From September to December, she continued moving forward through Posse’s Dynamic Application Process, participating in three rounds of interviews designed to assess her leadership and collaboration skills.
With over 100 nominees being brought together for DAP 1, Stampino-Strain participated in activities ranging from icebreakers that pushed her out of her comfort zone to problem-solving games that tested her compatibility and teamwork skills, under the supervision of Posse staff. Moving past that stage, she made it to a one-on-one quarterfinalist interview with a Posse staff member, allowing her to share her own personality.
“The first DAP, was a hard challenge that I had to do, especially since many of the activities required me to get outside of my comfort-zone but it was mainly so that we were observed in the ways that we work with other people. What I loved about [DAP 1] is that it was all about making connections with other people, but not in a superficial way. You really had the opportunity to scout out people and get to actually get to know your peers more,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
On Sept. 9, Stampino-Strain sat down for a fifteen-minute interview with a Posse staff member, granting her the chance to share her story beyond grades and test scores. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she highlighted her hands-on leadership experiences, offering a glimpse into her values and strengths that shape her problem-solving.
Throughout her four years at Gables, Stampino-Strain has been heavily involved in leadership roles since her freshman year. Taking on several roles to ensure productive collaboration and organization, she has served as Key Club President, a math tutor, as well as Vice-President for the International Baccalaureate Honor Society, Student Activities and Student Council. Through IBHS and Student Activities, Stampino-Strain has coordinated large-scale annual events such as Bridge for Peace and the Out-of-State College Tour, highlighting her experience in event-planning.
“I think leadership manifests itself in many different ways, and sometimes its quiet and it’s not always loud or demanding as some people think it is. That’s something I’ve always admired about people such as educators, because many people confuse leadership to be cocky and almost flaunting, but educators lead yet still invest a sense of hope into their students and pour their hearts out into getting their students to learn when teaching, and I try to do the same when tutoring people,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
Two months after her quarterfinal interview, Stampino-Strain learned she had advanced to the final DAP 3 interview, with Posse Miami representatives from several partnership universities flying in to observe. Diving into a small-group discussion, she showcased her potential to thrive at one of the program’s partner universities.
After months of Posse interviews and assessments, Stampino-Strain answered a Zoom call from Posse Miami, who had a few additional questions regarding her DAP 3 interview. On that call, she discovered she had been awarded the Posse Scholarship to Pomona College through early action, paving a similar path as her brother.
“Basically, I was asked what my favorite part of the interviews were, and I answered that it was when we were rotating in different groups and being able to be interviewed by Posse representatives because I was able to get to know the people in my group more. Then, the person on the other end of the call who worked with Posse replied ‘Great, because you’ll get more of that as a Posse Scholar at Pomona College,’ and I was just so shocked,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
With her friends and family cheering her on, Stampino-Strain took to the stage at the Posse Miami Ceremony at Miracle Theatre. Celebrating scholars from all six partner colleges, she and other recipients received a certificate and a white rose, symbolizing their commitment to the foundation. Ending on a bright note, her brother shared some heartfelt words to honor her journey and achievement.
“My brother attended the ceremony, and he gave a little speech, which made me pretty emotional. He talked about how he was there to see when I was first born and felt so shocked, when I first started walking, and now being awarded the same scholarship as him and then said he wasn’t surprised that I won it. My brother is one of my best friends, and it was just a very emotional experience seeing him do that,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
Although still undecided on her major, Stampino-Strain is drawn to Pomona College for its liberal arts curriculum and emphasis on academic curiosity. During her various campus visits, she has expressed interest in both mathematics and social science fields, eager to deepen her understanding on people and society. Thanks to Pomona’s small classes, tight-knit community and wide array of courses through the Claremont Colleges Consortium, she has been given the chance to explore many pathways.
“With both of my parents being college professors, I’m a person that just loves learning. Education has always been a core value in my life, so Pomona lets me do just that, be curious and learn from that curiosity,” senior Stampino-Strain said.
As she prepares to embark on her freshman year of college at Pomona, Stampino-Strain looks forward to diving into explore her academic interests, joining campus organizations and continuing to grow inside the classroom. With the support from her brother and Posse cohort, she hopes to embrace all the opportunities the school has to offer as a rising Sagehen. For Stampino-Strain, Pomona does not just represent a next chapter, but a chance to explore, lead and continue building the foundation for her future.
