The 2012 Posse Alumni Report - The Posse Foundation

Impact on Campus (cont.)
In addition, Posse alumni felt they helped increase
diversity on campus. This included not only demographic
and cultural diversity, but also diversity of ideas and perspectives.
Many alumni cited the PossePlus Retreats specifically
as helping promote dialogue on campus related
to important issues and bringing people with differing
perspectives together to discuss difficult topics. Many
alumni believe that without the PossePlus Retreats, those
attending may not have otherwise conversed with each
other in this way and such rich discussions may never have
taken place.
While Posse alumni thoroughly valued and were grateful
for their college experience (see Academic Success
section on page 8), they also felt confident that they were
valuable members of the student community. Remarks by
alumni illustrating this sentiment are below.
“We led and founded groups, won awards,
received fellowships, led protests, did
research and preformed well academically.
I feel like we showed everyone that we
deserved to be there.”
Chon’tel Washington, Hamilton College
“I think without Posse there would have been
less dialogue about diversity issues in the
classroom and out.”
Charles Felix, Lafayette College
“We pushed boundaries. Shook things up.
Engaged in ‘risky’ conversations—REAL
conversations. We were bold in what we
stood for.”
Michelle Sanchez, Dickinson College
Advice to Current Scholars
The Posse program is built around a system of support.
Posse provides academic, professional and social support
to Scholars and alumni. In turn, Scholars and alumni provide
support to each other.
Posse alumni were given the opportunity on the survey
to offer advice to current Posse Scholars. Their advice
encompassed the following themes:
• Make the most of the resources available to you and
don’t be afraid to lean on your Posse when necessary.
• Apply yourself and honor your commitment to Posse.
• Take chances and keep an open mind.
• Have fun.
• Invest in personal and professional relationships.
• Remember to value yourself, work to preserve your
identity and trust your strengths.
• Get involved.
• Persevere and graduate.
• Be appreciative and pay it forward.
Below are recollections of different Posse retreats, of graduations
and of the support Scholars received from their
Posse mentors.
Posse Scholars persist
and graduate at a rate
of 90%.
Favorite Posse Memories
“My favorite Posse memory was my graduation and
watching my parents react to the first person in our family
to go to college.”
Nurrani Alli, Lafayette College
“My favorite Posse moment is when my Posse mentor
took all of us on our first night at Union to where our
graduation would be four years later, and told us that one
day we will be crossing the stage together. Four years later,
while crossing the stage, it finally hit me how much we
had gone through as a Posse to get to graduation.”
Joshua Hernandez, Union College
“My favorite Posse memory was at the Posse retreat at the end of pre-collegiate
training. It was when we were about to leave that I looked around the circle we
were in and truly realized that I had people that really believed in my success.”
Rita Landells, Franklin & Marshall College
“[At] the final PossePlus Retreat I went on, I realized I didn’t want to be
anywhere else in the world, and I thought about the person I was my
freshman year and realized my own evolution.”
Jose Acevedo, Pomona College
Posse Alumni Report 2012 17