There was a lot of talent at the George Washington University Wednesday night, but it wasn't the basketball team.
Sixty-two Washington-area high school seniors were awarded more than $8 million in full-tuition scholarships to attend top colleges.
The students honored were selected from more than 1,600 nominees. They were chosen for their exceptional academic and leadership skills.
The Posse Foundation has given more than 3,000 full-tuition scholarships since 1989. This organization recruits and trains outstanding students from urban schools and sends them to partner colleges and universities in multicultural teams. Each team or “posse” -- hence the name of the foundation -- consists of 10 students.
The institutions these excellent students will attend in the fall are Bucknell University, Grinnell College, Lafayette College, Pepperdine University, Sewanee: The University of the South and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lisa Hubbard, one of the Posse scholars, currently is a senior at the Friendship Charter School in the District.
“When I get a degree, I’m going to come back and motivate others in my community," she said. "I like that Posse give you a chance no matter where you come from.”
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Lisa is headed to Bucknell next fall. She hopes to be the first person in her family to finish college.
But the Posse Foundation doesn’t stop with full-tuition scholarships. Over the next eight months, they will prepare these accomplished students for the transition to college. And once they are in college, Posse will lend support with living expenses.
This kind of on-going support has led Posse recipients to a 90 percent success rate in graduating from college.
