For over 35 years, the Posse Foundation has helped make undergraduate education accessible for college students across the country, providing full tuition scholarships to select students. The Foundation was founded in 1989 by Deborah Bial, who came up with the idea while facilitating leadership programs at several public high schools in New York City. She believed that a tight-knit community would lead to a successful life in college.
Since the program started at Vanderbilt University in 1989, it has expanded to over 60 colleges, coming to the University in 2013 under former University President Teresa Sullivan. Since, the Posse Scholars Program has grown into a social and academic force to be reckoned with on Grounds. While it had previously partnered with the traditional Posse Scholar Program, the University now participates in the Posse Virtual Program, allowing applicants to participate in the interview process regardless of distance, as well as the Posse Veteran Program for veterans who are community leaders.
One thing that differentiates the Posse program from other scholarship programs at the University is the deemphasis on high academic achievement. For Cameron Penn, a Posse scholar and rising fourth-year College student, the Posse Foundation's drive to find leaders from diverse backgrounds was a motivator for him to join the organization, and has since resulted in significant personal growth.
“Posse is specifically meant to target diverse young leaders,” Penn said. “But in my experience, it takes those young leaders and makes them more empathetic and more open-minded leaders, and it provides a community to do that in tandem with other people who have the same goals.”
Additionally, the Posse Scholars Program serves a high number of first-generation college students. Nationally, 57 percent of Posse Scholars are the first in their families to pursue an undergraduate degree, opening doors to places that some scholars may not have considered possible.
Before students can enjoy these benefits, students must be accepted into the program. The application process starts at the end of students’ junior year or the beginning of senior year of high school, when prospective scholars are nominated by school staff, active Posse Scholars or community leaders. Gabriel Garcia, Posse scholar and Class of 2026 alumnus, said he was surprised by his nomination for a scholarship program like Posse due to his struggles to adjust to the academic rigor of high school.
“[My nomination] was kind of shocking to me, because from middle school until 10th grade … I was kind of a mess. I was not necessarily on the right track,” Garcia said. “But I really turned it around after that, got all my grades up and started involving myself in leadership at school.”
Students nominated undergo a three-step interview process. The first and third parts of the interview are conducted with a group. In these virtual sessions, potential scholars work together to resolve conflicts or answer questions during a three-hour time block. For the second interview, however, the nominated student is interviewed individually by Virtual Posse-specific officials. After each step in the three-month interview process, potential scholars are dropped until 20 scholars are left, who form the Posse cohort for the year.
This process can be nerve-racking for potential scholars, but the reward is exhilarating — full-tuition scholarship to universities across the country. Aurea McIntosh, Posse scholar and rising third-year Engineering student, said she had her doubts throughout the process but decided to stay hopeful nonetheless. Ultimately, McIntosh was awarded the scholarship, and it was one of the most emotional moments of her life.
“I cried. I never cried that fast or had happy tears like that. … I couldn't stop,” McIntosh said.
The biggest way the program supports its scholars is through the financial assistance it offers. Thanks to this, access is available to people who would not typically be able to attend the University. For Amy Thiam, a Posse scholar and rising fourth-year Batten student, without the Posse Scholars scholarship, she said she would not have been able to afford to attend the University.
“I didn't really think much about U.Va. I was just looking at a range of schools, but I knew that my parents wouldn't want to send me if I didn't get enough money. So I had high hopes, but I didn't think it would actually happen. So without this, I wouldn't have come to U.Va.,” Thiam said.
This same sentiment is shared by Garcia. For him, since he did not have to worry about the financial responsibilities of college due to the scholarship, he said he was able to devote greater amounts of his time to extracurriculars, and even becoming a student leader.
“Having the burden of financial commitments alleviated allowed me to do all the things that I think made me the successful, soon-to-be graduate that I am today,” Garcia said.
After being accepted into the program, scholars undergo months of weekly pre-collegiate training in which they learn to navigate life from different perspectives. For months, scholars complete virtual workshops with their fellow scholars that address topics such as leadership and communication. Following this, they participate in a week-long retreat in the summer, where they spend time with their own Posse and other schools’ Posse Virtual Scholars.
For Christopher Lastrape, Posse scholar and rising second-year Engineering student, the pre-collegiate training was not only a great opportunity to meet their new Posse cohort but also to learn important skills for college and beyond.
“You work on communication skills, problem-solving skills, different types of techniques that you might need to be successful, not only in college, but in a career or in any future endeavor you might take,” Lastrape said.
At the University, shaping leaders and building community is at the center of the program. According to Thaim, for the first two academic years of a scholar’s time at the University, they partake in weekly meetings that aim to help them understand other perspectives while developing skills, like leadership, that align with the Foundation’s mission. Often, this looks like scholars leading presentations on interview skills or how to get involved with research on Grounds. Some meetings, though, are just spent catching up with one another.
The added support and opportunities for Posse Scholars do not stop when they arrive on Grounds. Each year, the program puts together a PossePlus Retreat — a weekend away from Grounds for scholars and their friends. Over two days, scholars and their “plussers,” or non-Posse friends, engage in creative activities that encourage them to talk to different people, such as roleplaying as people in a town attempting to solve a problem or trying to learn as much as they can about a new person in a short amount of time.
Community is not only built through planned group events but also through one-on-one connection through the Posse Scholars Program. Each scholar is paired with a mentor, a dedicated member of the University faculty who provides support and guidance through each scholar’s journey on Grounds. Thiam said she experienced moments of imposter syndrome before coming to the University, however, her mentor helped her understand her worth and purpose within the program.
“Every other week, I would talk with my mentor. She was there to guide me through feeling imposter syndrome, adjusting socially, academics, internships [and] everything,” Thiam said. “If I felt any sense of insecurity, there was someone I could go to.”
Beyond mentorship, the Posse Foundation has many partner companies, such as Capital One, Facebook and Spotify, that work with connected universities to provide graduating scholars with workforce experience through internships and job placements.
Garcia is planning to start a job at Deloitte in Rosslyn, Va. This opportunity comes not only from four years of hard work, but also from the careful mentorship and connections of the Posse Foundation. To him, these resources built up over the four years and gave him the confidence he needed to find the jobs he wanted.
“Posse connected me with alumni members in a bunch of different firms who I got the chance to have conversations with [and] understand more about what they do … and guide me through the process of actually getting a job,” Garcia said.
Support can also be found between peers in the program. McIntosh and her peers have implemented a student-led big-little program to help foster friendship between scholars at different points in their University career. The inspiration came from William & Mary, which implemented the program a year prior for their scholars.
For Lastrape, support from the big-little program and the University mentors provides a safe space to be himself without fear of judgment from his peers.
“I can show up exactly as I am and be accepted and be welcomed and be supported … It's just been so refreshing and like such a relief to not have to worry about finding that space elsewhere, because it can be difficult to find that space in college,” Lastrape said.
From a full tuition scholarship to mentorship, the Program creates a community where students feel connected with one another and are equipped for the future ahead of them, building students to be the best version of themselves, heavily involved in life on Grounds. Posse Scholars can be found in almost every corner of the University, from being involved in student government to working as resident advisors. In these roles, they continue to exhibit the mission of the Foundation in all of their actions.
“I'm just so blessed, really. And I mean that, I'm just so blessed to have the scholarship opportunity,” McIntosh said. “I honestly don't think I'd be the same person if I didn't have my Posse … they've allowed me to grow so much as a person.”
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