What is a Posse Scholarship?
The Posse Foundation is one of the finest nationally recognized youth leadership programs/scholarships in the country. Implemented in 10 cities across the United States, students are nominated for the Posse Scholarship, by their high schools and community-based organizations. These nominations are based on their leadership skills and academic potential. From each school that participates, there are students selected to begin the interview process to determine their eligibility for each particular schools program affiliated with the Posse Foundation in that area. Based on a student’s interview performance they may be invited back for three rounds and ultimately offered a full tuition scholarship to one of the partnering schools. In Clemente’s Class of 2016, 14 seniors were selected to participate in the initial round and 8 have been invited back for a second interview. Below is one student’s account of the Posse interview process thus far….
POSSE: THE JOURNEY
by Kyle Rodriguez
THE PROCESS: Posse has a total of four rounds. During the first round you attend a group interview with 99 other students. The second interview is a one-on-one interview with a recruiter/trainer. The third round is the decision to participate as a finalist, and if you are selected then you would have to make the decision to accept the scholarship. The last round is another group interview – except now it’s 20-25 students for each college/university. Only ten out of the 20-25 will be selected to attend the college and this is an early decision choice. This means if I win this scholarship, I would have to attend the school that accepted me during the interview process.
When I was recommended to be a Posse Scholar, I received an email and had to register for an account on their website. After I registered, that’s when the pressure and stress kicked in. Immediately, the website requested information about my high school career such as my school life and extracurricular activities. Since my freshman year, I have participated in many activities, which boosts my school resume. After I completed the information my first interview date was provided to me on the website.
FIRST ROUND: During the first interview, I was with 99 other students and participated in several different workshops and icebreakers. I was judged by multiple people and they wanted see how I interacted with others! They also wanted me to verbalize my thoughts and ensure that the people they selected are capable of working with other students and aren’t afraid of meeting new people.
SECOND ROUND: During the second interview, I spoke to the people who judged me and this was definitely a relief for me. I knew I had to fill out another application to move to the next round, so I was now able to leave an actual impression on the people who were deciding my fate. During this interview, they asked me why I chose those schools and if I researched any of the campuses. I chose the University of Michigan STEM and shared that during my research I discovered that the University of Michigan covers around 3,200 acres of land and holds over 1,000 organizations for you to be a part of. I don’t think most students who apply to schools usually know how many acres the university is or how many organizations are on the campus. They also asked me multiple questions about my leadership experiences and skills, how I demonstrated these skills through my leadership abilities, and what activities I have participated in to give back to my community.
THIRD ROUND: I can’t really write much about the third round, because I have not yet made it to this round, but I hope to be selected. I am very excited to participate in the process and to represent CLEMENTE!!!!!!!