This Year’s Posse Scholarship Finalists!

Posse, a full-tuition scholarship, is a well-known, rigorous program that identifies individuals with leadership potential across ten cities in the United States. The program is beneficial as it offers seniors the financial help they need for college and creates a dedicated community of Posse scholars in their respective college or university. The recruitment process for Posse is already nearing its final stages for the Posse scholars. Here are some of our very own Cavaliers who were chosen to be Posse finalists!

Axel Rodriguez

Axel Rodriguez is extremely appreciative for having made it this far in a selective program and is excited for what’s to come. Rodriguez is limited in schools he can apply to based on his financial resources. Instead of allowing this obstacle to stop him from applying to colleges, he focused on finding scholarships to help him get through. He liked how Posse is about giving you the necessary support and how your “posse” will help you get through the college process and all that follows. He has researched extensively about Hamilton College and pictures himself being a part of the small liberal arts campus as a starting point for his potential future career: city planning. This college has piqued Rodriguez’s interest, as it offers many environmental activities he enjoys participating in like rowing and hiking.

“From the first instance that I found out Hamilton College existed and saw what it was about, I felt an instant draw to it. The more I look at it, the more I research, the more I talk to people who went there, the more I want to experience it,” senior Axel Rodriguez said.

Karina Wu

Karina Wu is attracted to the dynamic, goals and concept of the Posse Scholarship. Her research led her to the conclusion that the program focuses more on student capability and character rather than test scores, which is usually the ruling factor in college applications. She realizes that this distinction offers her a better opportunity to move forward with the college application process. The program and its process felt very supportive and welcoming to Wu, as she feels that the program cares about all its applicants. Mount Holyoke is the college that Wu feels most connected to. At first, she felt hesitant as she had not considered applying to an all-girls school. But, the more she researched, the more she realized that it provided the necessary, supportive base that would serve as a shoulder to lean on. In addition, Mount Holyoke holds many journalistic opportunities that she is interested in as she is a member of our Cavalier Highlights publication.

“Mount Holyoke has the empowering and eclectic dynamic that I really wanted in a university. Its environment coincided with what Posse is trying to achieve,” senior Karina Wu said.

Isabella D’Ottone

Isabella D’Ottone applied to the Posse Scholarship because they provide the financial help she sought and partnered with two STEM schools that interest her: Pomona and Davidson. She felt uncertain knowing that there are many eligible students that are not called for a finalist spot. However, this did not stop D’Ottone. She firmly believes she possesses all the qualities a Posse Finalist should have including leadership qualities and a good academic standing. Now, she is extremely excited to be matched to Davidson. The college has a focus on biology and chemistry and offers many opportunities for undergraduate students to complete research, all things D’Ottone was looking for in a school.

“When I found out I was a finalist for Posse, I received a notification on my phone for the email. I was by myself in my car and I started screaming!” senior Isabella D’Ottone said.

                             Alain Perez

Alain Perez was out, eating with friends when he received the email. As he quickly rose from excitement, he began dialing his family and friends to share the news. The interview was something he felt nervous about, so being a finalist allowed him to realize that he had completed it successfully. He knew that 1,200 people were nominated, and knowing that statistic quickly lowered his expectations. Davidson is the college that most intrigued Perez for its sense of community. He traveled to the campus for a fly-in this summer and loved the welcoming and positive environment. Although he loves the Posse program and all of its benefits, Perez will be declining the next step of the program as he, unfortunately, cannot afford the remaining financial cost of the college after receiving the scholarship.

“I had a friend that did Posee and he would speak about the importance to know people and have that community already on campus, especially transitioning from a big city like Miami to a smaller community,” said Alain Perez.

Dominique Babin

Dominique Babin was positively surprised when she became a Posse finalist because she never expected to make it this far in the program. When she began to research the scholarship, she was instantly intrigued as it offers a great opportunity to attend several, respectable schools. She specifically finds it amazing that one can go to college with a group of ten people that you have familiarized yourself with. Babin was matched to Davidson College, which is great as she already feels a connection to the school and the support the faculty provides. The next step for Babin is to sit for an interview with an admissions director from Davidson and hope she is one of the students chosen to attend the College.

“Posse scholarship does not only give you a chance to be a student in a huge community but also gives you a chance to be a leader when starting college,” senior Dominique Babin said.

These students’ hard work does not go unnoticed, and for that, we want to extend our deepest, most sincere congratulations to our finalist Cavaliers. We wish them luck in the next process of the program!