Every year thousands of high school seniors apply for the Posse Foundation Scholarship. The Posse Scholarship selects seniors that show a strong sense of leadership and teamwork in school and their community. Posse Scholars are rewarded with a full four year tuition to a Posse Foundation partner College. Many students hoping to be accepted into one of these colleges may find it hard to afford the pricey annual tuition and find this opportunity almost TOO good to be true.

Only a small handful of  students from each region are selected to be official Posse Scholars. This year three of our very own Wakefield seniors: Alana Ceesay, Anderson Escobar Avalos, and Nicholas Cadby-Spicer won the Posse Foundation Scholarship, and won full four-year tuition to the Posse partner colleges and universities. Cadby-Spicer plans to attend Lafayette College. Ceesay plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Escobar Avalos plans to attend Bucknell University. All three of our amazing and talented seniors worked very hard to get the scholarship and spent many months preparing mentally and academically for the long application process.

The Chieftain asked Wakefield senior Nicholas Cadby-Spicer what he did to prepare for the scholarship; “I worked hard in school, but for the most part I’ve been a part of a lot of different clubs and activities in the community which Posse definitely looks for in students…my advice is to just be yourself, and I think that’s what Posse is really looking for you to do.”

The Application Process for the Posse Scholarship is lengthy and competitive with only small handfuls (out of the thousands of applicants) of students that actually become finalists.

“The first round was the hardest, being in a room full of a few hundred others, but as I went into the semi-finalists I felt more confident in my self”  said Escobar Avalos. Semi-finalists were then interviewed individually at the local Posse Office and between 20 and 25 of these remaining applicants actually went on to become finalists and winners of the Posse Foundation Scholarship. 

How did our Wakefield seniors react when they heard the fantastic news? Alana Ceesay said she, “felt really good about winning, and it felt like all my hard work had finally paid off, but I think my dad was even happier than me!”

“Anyone is capable of getting the scholarship, you may think that others are better than you, or you’re not the smartest kid in school, but you should be confident in yourself and work hard.” said Anderson Escobar Avalos. That is some sage advice for anyone to follow.

Trying to get good grades and participating in lots of activities is always great, but the most important thing to remember is to just try your hardest. “Just do it! You never know if you’ll get it or not if you’re not going to try!” said Nicholas Cadby-Spicer.