Hamilton College marked its five-year partnership with the Posse Foundation by hosting a visit from Susan Dalelio, director of Posse Boston, on October 12. Dalelio updated luncheon attendees on the growth and success of the Posse Foundation, which identifies, recruits and trains student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural teams called "Posses." Posse seeks to identify exceptional students who might otherwise be missed by traditional college admissions processes. These teams are then prepared, through an intensive pre-collegiate training program, for enrollment at top-tier colleges and universities to pursue their academics and to help promote cross-cultural communication on campus.
Hamilton College welcomed its Posse 5 group with the class of 2009 in August. Although Posse has sites in five U.S. cities -- Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. -- all Hamilton Posses have been from the Boston area.
Dalelio said that the goals of Posse are to expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds; work with these institutions to build campus environments that are more welcoming for people from all backgrounds; and to ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.
Hamilton graduated its first Posse in May 2005 and many of those students have already made quick transitions into the workforce. One student took the experience she gained during a summer internship into a full-time job with a law firm in Boston; another, who majored in public policy, obtained a position with a top research firm.
Current Posse students include a chemistry major who spent the summer on campus doing science research with a Hamilton professor. Another was a student representative to a leadership conference at West Point; and a third studied in Beijing then interned at a well-known Boston financial company.
Hamilton faculty serve as mentors, doing a two-year term with their class. They meet with Posse members individually and as a group in an effort to motivate the scholars to prioritize academics, add positively to the Posse team and to the Hamilton community. Associate Professor of Philosophy Todd Franklin serves as mentor to the sophomore Posse class, and Professor of Government Steve Orvis is mentor to the freshman class of Posse students. Phyllis Breland, director of Opportunity Programs, also mentors Posse students.
Hamilton College welcomed its Posse 5 group with the class of 2009 in August. Although Posse has sites in five U.S. cities -- Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. -- all Hamilton Posses have been from the Boston area.
Dalelio said that the goals of Posse are to expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds; work with these institutions to build campus environments that are more welcoming for people from all backgrounds; and to ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.
Hamilton graduated its first Posse in May 2005 and many of those students have already made quick transitions into the workforce. One student took the experience she gained during a summer internship into a full-time job with a law firm in Boston; another, who majored in public policy, obtained a position with a top research firm.
Current Posse students include a chemistry major who spent the summer on campus doing science research with a Hamilton professor. Another was a student representative to a leadership conference at West Point; and a third studied in Beijing then interned at a well-known Boston financial company.
Hamilton faculty serve as mentors, doing a two-year term with their class. They meet with Posse members individually and as a group in an effort to motivate the scholars to prioritize academics, add positively to the Posse team and to the Hamilton community. Associate Professor of Philosophy Todd Franklin serves as mentor to the sophomore Posse class, and Professor of Government Steve Orvis is mentor to the freshman class of Posse students. Phyllis Breland, director of Opportunity Programs, also mentors Posse students.
