For 60 Boston students, the road to college just got a little easier.
Chosen by the Posse Foundation, these urban public school students are set to receive a full four-year scholarship, as well as a support system freshmen rarely get.
"I almost literally cried — like shed a tear," said Delano McFarlane, one of this year's scholars from New Mission High School in Hyde Park. "I never expected this."
Founded in New York City in 1989 after a student said, "I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me," the organization sends groups of 10 students, who might be overlooked during the traditional application process, to partner schools across the country. This year's Boston scholars will go to Bucknell University, Centre College, Denison University, Bryn Mawr College, Union College and Hamilton College.
"I hope to meet other people that could be like me," said McFarlane, who heads to Union College this fall. "I have friends here who definitely helped me get through four years of high school and having this group of people around me at college will remind me of home and remind me of where I came from."
Majoring in sociology, McFarlane hopes to go into law enforcement after gradation and become a homicide detective.
"The idea that you can send a team or a group together to college — it just made sense," said Debbie Bial, founder of the Posse Foundation. "It means they are less likely to turn around and come home."
After taking nominations from public schools throughout Boston, potential scholars go through a vigorous group and individual interview process where they're asked to do things like build a robot out of Legos, or lead a discussion on genetic testing.
"Historically, schools have a very traditional way of identifying how they're going to admit students," said Bial. "But there is an incredibly talented pool of young people who wouldn't show up on their radar screen because they didn't go to a high school ranked high enough or didn't get the right test scores."
With more than 6,000 scholars placed, and a 90 percent graduation rate, Posse hopes to highlight these students.
"The big vision is to develop a national leadership network in the U.S. that represents the diversity of the country," said Bial, who's connected Posse Scholars to internships and post-college jobs at well-known companies such as Viacom, Goldman Sachs and Disney.
Celebrating its 15th year in the Hub, Bial says Boston was the first city where Posse replicated its program. It has since grown to 10 cities across the country. "Menino and Deval were big supporters," she said of the late Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Gov. Deval Patrick. "They believed in the power of these young people and their love and support really helped us grow in Boston."
Over the next eight months, the Posse members will participate in two-hour weekly training sessions with their peers, focusing on skills to help them succeed in college and beyond. On Jan. 8, the Boston scholars get official recognition in a ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
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