The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains incredible young leaders and sends them in multicultural teamsPossesto 63 top colleges and universities across the country.
Current events have brought into sharp focus the systemic inequities that afflict our nation. Building a more just society for all will require collaborative leaders who span a rich diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, those who are capable of shifting policy and practice, culture and power. Posses core mission is to develop such leaders.
When you make a gift to support our award-winning leadership program, you join a community thats making a real difference. An investment in Posse is an investment in our Scholars. Your contributions will sustain us as we ensure our students stay on track to graduation, despite the unprecedented obstacles in their way.
Established in 2009, Posse Miami has served 618 outstanding local student leaders. These young people have received $114 million in scholarships from our top-tier partner colleges and universities.
Posse conducted our first-ever virtual Scholar selection in December and received more than 1,300 nominations from Miami. We ultimately selected 60 students to begin college as Posse Scholars in the fall of 2021. Posse Miamis current college and university partners are: Davidson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Hamilton College, Mount Holyoke College, Pomona College and Syracuse University.
Posse has seen ever-increasing relevance and impact in the current global climate. Our commitment tobuilding a more equitable American society has found broader platforms,taking Posse's proven success in virtual programming-- developed out of necessity in the pandemic-- and channeling it to amplify our work. One major outcome: in 2020, Posse doubled our reach to recruit students from new cities across the U.S., in avirtual expansion that will welcome geographically diverse Posses fromCharlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenixand select cities inMinnesotaandVirginia.
Leah McLeod (Mount Holyoke College, Posse 9), a junior at Mount Holyoke College, is the founder of mask-making nonprofit MASK Mission. She is also now working as a COVID-19 contact tracer in Miami, supporting and monitoring individuals who test positive for the virus.
Leah took up sewing masks during the early days of the pandemic and was motivated to spend the summer creating an infrastructure for MASK (Motivate and Spread Kindness) Mission. The now-thriving operation donates masks to hospitals and community organizations; to date they have produced more than 5,000 masks, with distribution that has reached 70 organizations and more than 110 families in 30 cities across the United States.
"I was motivated to start this work because I was devastated to see medical workers, those in the field I want to enter myself, struggle to make and reuse their own PPE, Leah says. I wanted to serve my community. I believe that giving back brings a sense of unity within the chaos.
At Mount Holyoke, Leah is a neuroscience behavior major and is involved with multiple groups on campus including STEM POC, Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Students Association and the Association of Pan-African Unity. She also works at the schools Career Development Center, where she offers support for peers as they craft resumes and pursue internship opportunities.
Posse has been amazing, I couldn't be doing what Im doing without it, Leah says. My Posse network is always there to offer support and guidance, its the best connection Ive ever had.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Leah intends to continue her scientific studies in medical school. Her ultimate aspiration is to become a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon.
Richard Guerrero, a senior Posse Scholar at Davison College, is premed with dual majors in sociology and biology.
In the spring of 2020, Richards study abroad experience at Queen Mary University of London was cut short, but he was able to continue his studies domestically at social services Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson, North Carolina. The support role saw him working as a translator alongside the social workers, helping patients with applications and in securing appointments.
At Ada Jenkins, things had to be done differently, Richard says, detailing the unique experience of helping a busy community organization pivot to digital work. We didnt have anyone come in the space and we had lots of Zoom calls, but we still worked with social workers to help people get aid for rent.
When a position on the organizations board of directors opened, a previous director invited Richard to lunch and asked him to join in a formal role. Richard accepted, and has since become the founder and leader of the boards diversity committee.
His past community work has also included summers in the Dominican Republic, where Richard utilized grants from the Davidson Civic Engagement Office to teach English, science and math at the countrys Ninos De Cristo Orphanage. Richard has stayed in contact with the administration and staff to reach his students.
Now back on campus at Davidson in his final year, Richard continues to lead the schools Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) chapter, which helps students refine skills for future medical careers by preparing for and participating in national competitions. Richard was part of his high schools chapter of the club and took it upon himself to bring it Davidson.
Richard says the Davidson Posse community has also provided integral support over the years.
Posse is one big family and were there for each other when we need each other, he says.
After graduating this May, Richard plans on entering a one-year masters program in medical science followed by medical school.
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