The Posse Foundation's Dynamic Interview Process for Full-Tuition Scholarships

Thanks to the Posse Foundation, I'm going to Grinnell College tuition-free for the next four years. Only 40 students out of more than 1, 000 were chosen. But what exactly is the Posse Foundation and how do they select their scholarship winners? Established in 1989 when a student from New York City dropped out from a top-tier liberal arts school claimed that he would've stayed in if he had only had his "posse", the Posse Foundation recruits multi-cultural youth from New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Boston and sends them to top-tier colleges on full-tuition merit scholarships. But choosing these talented teens is not a simple process. Posse prides itself for dynamic interview sessions that truly challenge candidates' intellect and leadership skills. Here's what happened when I tried out for Posse:

*September 19, 2006: The minorities coordinator at my school, Ms. Sheri Benites, held a meeting for the fifteen or so students the school had nominated for the Posse Foundation Washington, DC Scholarship to one of four participating colleges: Grinnell, Swanee, Lafayette, or Bucknell. She explained that while our grades and standardized test scores would be reviewed, our ability to lead would be the most important. Since each school is only allowed to send forward ten students, she told us that the first ten of us who signed up would be allowed to attend the first interview. I was the first student to sign up.