Awards Ceremony Honors 63 D.C. Youth
More than 500 people filled the historic Lincoln Theatre in January to welcome 63 new Scholars to Posse D.C. Over $8 million in full-tuition merit scholarships were awarded to the students by Bucknell University, Grinnell College, Lafayette College, Pepperdine University, Sewanee: The University of the South and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These accomplished Scholars are top students from more than 35 high schools across the Washington, D.C., metro area and more than 65 percent will be the first in their family to attend college.
“Posse is a movement like no other. It’s about more than just college access,” said Frank Sesno, the chair of the Posse D.C. Advisory Board. \"I’m confident that these students will be the leaders of tomorrow because of the talents they currently possess and the skills they will develop.”
Joining the Scholars and their families at the Awards Ceremony were District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, Prince George’s County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Alvin Crawley, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Murphy, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale and Deputy Chief Academic Officer for D.C. Public Schools Dan Gordon.
“It’s not every day you get to be honored by the mayor of your city,” said Ty Chung from KIPP DC who will be attending Bucknell University next fall. “I knew at that moment that I had accomplished something important.”
Briana Rusin, aspiring entrepreneur and varsity field hockey captain from Wakefield High School, will attend Pepperdine in the fall. She was nominated for the Posse Scholarship by her guidance counselor, Veronica Covarrubias.
“Briana is an energetic and dedicated young leader who will share her personal values of service and humility with her peers and professors alike,” says Veronica.
This incredible event would not have been possible without the generous support of our 2013 Posse D.C. Awards Ceremony sponsors: Citi Community Development, Holly Hassett, Eva Marie Carney and Alan L. Cohen.
Scholars now begin eight months of Pre-Collegiate Training with their Posses before arriving on their respective campuses in the fall.
