The Posse Foundation is an American nonprofit organization that identifies public high school students with  academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by normal college selection processes and offers them a scholarship to select universities and college.

The Posse Foundation started in 1989 and sends minority and low- income students together in a group or “posse” to reduce the risk of them dropping out.

Posse awarded Axel Ruiz, Andreah Pierre, Rebecca Magnan, with privately funded four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships.

This year, Posse awarded Axel Ruiz, Andreah Pierre, and Rebecca Magnan, and Rachelly Buzzi with privately funded four year, full- tuition leadership scholarships.

Pierre, Ruiz amd Magnan will be liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Buzzi will head to Syracruse University in upstate New York.

“My family isn’t in the best situation economically so they weren’t going to be able to afford to get me to college on their own,” Pierre said.

“I signed up and sent my application in August and got the news that I was awarded the scholarship December 1st. My reaction was bittersweet because although I was excited that I finally obtained the scholarship, it was nerve wracking that I would be almost 3,000 miles away from my family and friends, but it will be a good experience for me and I will be okay,” Pierre said

If you sign up and Posse thinks you make the cut, for eight months before you begin your college career, Posse Scholars attend a weekly Pre-Collegiate Training Program and the goal of this training program is to prepare Posse Scholars for the academic, social, and personal challenges they may face in their college career.

Ruiz says Posse Foundation doesn’t really test your academic skills. It’s more about your personality and how you would react in certain situations.

“The Pre- Collegiate Training, in my opinion, are basically a way to get to know the other people in your team better and in my case, People from Pomona come down and talk to us and introduce to life in Pomona and they give us writing coaches and math coaches and prepare us for the important academic portion of college,” Pierre said.

“If you are are willing and really want to go to college for 4 years. I recommend you do sign up for a Posse scholarship. It is challenging and it is quite hard to be picked, but if you work hard in school and help around in your community, get involved in clubs and things around the school, they will see that and you will be probably be picked. I myself don’t have the best grades, but I try my best to focus on school and do things to help the community,” Pierre said when asked if it is worth working to get obtain a Posse scholarship,” Pierre said.

As far as advice, Pierre has these words of wisdom.

“Keep moving forward and to not look back,” she said.