Posse Foundation "mutually beneficial"
Samantha Gluck '07
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Commentary
While much of the Wheaton College community has heard the word "Posse" floating around campus, many of us know very little about this life-changing organization. After attending the PossePlus retreat recently, I returned back to campus invigorated and with a deeper understanding of what the Posse Foundation embodies.
Excited to share my experience with other students at Wheaton, I began to realize that a lot of them hold misconceptions about this organization. When asked what they thought Posse was, some students understood it to be solely a recruitment of students of color and knew nothing about Posse's mission statement.
The Posse Foundation was started 17 years ago by a woman named Debbie Bial (a graduation speaker this year) who had been working closely with urban youth and found that they were dropping out of college at high rates. Disappointed, she asked one particular student why he had dropped out and he said that if he had his "posse" with him, he would have stayed in school.
Today, the Posse Foundation selects, recruits and trains groups of students who are nominated and recognized by their high schools as leaders and scholars. These scholars undergo an intensive eight-month pre-college training program, enabling them to make a smooth transition to colleges across the country.
In addition to Wheaton, some of the other Posse affiliates include Babson, Brandeis, Middlebury, Dickinson, Oberlin and Colby. With its growing popularity and success, Posse has offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and is in the process of opening a new site in Atlanta.
The Posse Foundation rests on the belief that both the college communities and Posse scholars can mutually benefit from one another, creating a space for intercultural exchange and growth. The relationships I have developed with Posse scholars have been some of the most memorable, influential and inspirational of my four years at Wheaton.
I only hope that as a campus we will come to realize the significance of our Posse Scholars and all that we can offer each other.
Excited to share my experience with other students at Wheaton, I began to realize that a lot of them hold misconceptions about this organization. When asked what they thought Posse was, some students understood it to be solely a recruitment of students of color and knew nothing about Posse's mission statement.
The Posse Foundation was started 17 years ago by a woman named Debbie Bial (a graduation speaker this year) who had been working closely with urban youth and found that they were dropping out of college at high rates. Disappointed, she asked one particular student why he had dropped out and he said that if he had his "posse" with him, he would have stayed in school.
Today, the Posse Foundation selects, recruits and trains groups of students who are nominated and recognized by their high schools as leaders and scholars. These scholars undergo an intensive eight-month pre-college training program, enabling them to make a smooth transition to colleges across the country.
In addition to Wheaton, some of the other Posse affiliates include Babson, Brandeis, Middlebury, Dickinson, Oberlin and Colby. With its growing popularity and success, Posse has offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and is in the process of opening a new site in Atlanta.
The Posse Foundation rests on the belief that both the college communities and Posse scholars can mutually benefit from one another, creating a space for intercultural exchange and growth. The relationships I have developed with Posse scholars have been some of the most memorable, influential and inspirational of my four years at Wheaton.
I only hope that as a campus we will come to realize the significance of our Posse Scholars and all that we can offer each other.
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posted 1/22/10 @ 5:43 AM EST
The good thing about your information is that it is explicit enough for students to grasp. Thanks for your efforts in spreading academic knowledge.
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