For 20 years, Wheaton College and the Posse Foundation have partnered on bringing high school leaders from the New York City-area to Wheaton College via a full-tuition scholarship.
The New York City-based Posse Foundation partners with colleges and universities to choose cohorts of 10 students from New York City schools who enter college together as a “posse” (a group that shares a common bond). Before they arrive on campus—as well as after—the organization helps the selected students prepare for and manage the rigors of challenging academic environments.
The foundation also has offices in and recruits students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. The foundation staff typically interviews more than 17,000 students across the country for more than 700 scholarship slots.
Scholars hone leadership skills, gain perspective on expectations and get to know each other in New York before heading off to their colleges and universities. Each partner institution invests in full-tuition scholarships to recruit the students to campus. The goal is to diversify campuses not just by race or ethnicity but also by ideology and geographic origin. Other partner schools include Colby, Middlebury, Trinity and Vassar colleges.
Read more on the powerful partnership between Wheaton and the Posse Foundation
National award winners
| Posse Scholar | Award |
|---|---|
| Shanita Gopie Liu ’07 | Fulbright Scholar/Hong Kong |
| Derron Wallace ’07 | Marshall Scholar Watson Fellow Fulbright Scholar/Thailand |
| Esther Jeong ’08 | Fulbright Scholar/South Korea |
| Ryan Letada ’08 | Fulbright Scholar/ Philippines |
| Nadila Yusuf ’11 | Fulbright Scholar/Bangladesh |
| Lindsay Powell ’13 | Fulbright Scholar/Malaysia |
| Tianna Lall ’14 | Watson Fellow |
| Alexis Nieves ’14 | Fulbright Scholar/Brazil |
| Nataja Flood ’16 | Fulbright Scholar/Greece |
| Javon Mullings ’16 | Watson Fellow |
| Kweku Ampem-Darko ’17 | Watson Fellow |
| Leury Holguin ’19 | Watson Fellow |
| Ebony Kennedy ’19 | Fulbright Scholar/Argentina |
| Pia Parisi-Marcoux ’19 | Watson Fellow |
| Ishaan Madan ’22 | Goldwater Scholar |
| Jillian Riveros’22 | Goldwater Scholar |
| Melanie Del Romero ’22 | Projects for Peace |
Posse Scholar alumni reflect on impact of program, Wheaton education
Kate Boylan ’04
- English major
- Posse 1
- Wheaton director of archives and digital initiatives
“Posse Scholars learn to become ingrained in a community and effect whatever change needs to happen. They’re doers. They dig deep, and the Posse program—as well as Wheaton—teaches students to ask really important questions. That’s a skill set that many, but not all, students have when they arrive at Wheaton. The ability to engage in dialogue gave us Posse Scholars a leg up when it came to participating in classes and complicated and sensitive conversations. One of the biggest lessons we learned was to challenge ideas, not people. That’s a real growth process to go through, especially when you’re given the directive from Posse training before arriving on campus to ‘make change.’”
Ryan Letada ’08
- Economics major
- Posse 5
- CEO and co-founder of NextDayBetter, New York City
“My Wheaton Posse experience allowed me to cultivate my leadership skills as an entrepreneur and agent of change. There is a call to action for Posse Scholars to sit at decision-making tables and create a dent in the universe through their passion and skill sets. Answering this call to action became a critical part of my mission at Wheaton outside the classroom, as I challenged myself to start the Wheaton Investment Association or lead as the Student Government Association’s Intercultural Board chair. Inside the classroom, my sociology classes with Professor Hyun Kim and an economic development course with Professor Brenda Wyss gave me a framework to distill and define a problem that humanity faces. Because of their classes and influences, I co-founded NextDayBetter—my solution to using technology, media and storytelling to drive change for migrant communities. My mentor, [music professor] Matthew Allen, changed my life. I recently told him that, before coming to Wheaton College, I didn’t have many positive male role models in my life. Through his mentorship and patience, he helped me change a negative internal narrative. As a Filipino immigrant and male student of color from the Bronx, I am enough. I am capable of making a positive dent for my family and chosen family, business, community and, ultimately, the universe.”
Verandah Shepard ’11
- History major
- Posse 6
- Dean of culture at Democracy Prep Public Schools, San Antonio, Texas
“I learned to always ask for help, no matter your amount of pride. This is crucial in my personal and professional life. I remember agonizing over whether or not I should go to the different centers on campus for the help I needed and how not fully taking advantage of those resources probably made the journey a lot more difficult than it needed to be. Leaning into support systems was the best and hardest lesson I learned as a Posse Scholar at Wheaton. The ease at which I can solicit the support of others would make my former 19-year-old self completely baffled and impressed.”
Faculty mentors relish relationships
Gail Sahar
Professor of psychology
“I gained so much. For one thing, I gained relationships with these wonderful scholars that will last a lifetime. It was really beneficial, after a number of years of teaching, to get to know students outside of the classroom and to remember that students are not only defined by their academic experiences. Because we met as a group and individually on a regular basis, we really got to know each other well. Eleven years after their graduation, I still feel close to them, and we make an effort to see each other whenever possible, though the scholars now are spread across and even outside the U.S.”
Dolita Cathcart
Associate professor of history
“The Posse program is so important because the scholars are all leaders, intellectually curious, and want to give back to their communities and others. They are, collectively, change agents. They are mentors, training junior students, both younger Posse Scholars and non-Posse students, to become leaders and to lead student organizations. This has helped to create some continuity as students graduate and new students take on positions of leadership. They are empathetic; they know and understand intersectionality in regard to social constructs like gender, class and race.”
Barbara Darling
Assistant professor of religion
“The Posse Scholars during the past 20 years have courageously contributed to class discussions and have, in many ways, enhanced the educational experience of their classmates. Their success in bringing together students, faculty and staff to build community, break down walls and listen respectfully to other perspectives has made Wheaton a better place: more diverse, more inclusive and closer to the ideals we aspire to.”