Since the first Posse Scholars arrived at Middlebury in 1999, the program has continued to flourish on campus. One of the group’s biggest events is the annual PossePlus Retreat, which this year hosted Posse Scholars and their “plussers” for a weekend in Farilee, VT. The Campus explores Posse history and the significance of the retreat.
Every year, The Posse Foundation and Posse Scholars facilitate an annual weekend-long PossePlus Retreat with the goal of discussing an important issue identified by Posse Scholars. The PossePlus Retreat (PPR) creates a unique space where students, faculty and staff participate in a powerful discussion and engage in a national dialogue. The PPR happens on every Posse campus, giving more than 3,000 college students at 36 colleges and universities across the United States the opportunity to engage in this dialogue.
“The same conversation, the same invitation, the same topic took place nationally, which is really exciting,” said Shirley Collado, dean of the College and chief diversity officer, who serves as the Posse Liaison on campus.
Collado has an especially deep personal and professional connection to Posse; she is an alumnus of the program. She was part of the first Posse cohort when the program began in 1989 and also ran the Posse Foundation as executive vice president before coming to Middlebury. As the Posse Liaison, she is a senior administrator who oversees the program and works closely with the Posse Program on campus as well as the Posse headquarters in New York.
While many students at Middlebury have heard the term “posse” in passing, not everyone is familiar with what the Posse Foundation actually is. Posse is a nonprofit organization that identifies, recruits and selects student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural support teams called “posses.” These teams then prepare, through an intensive eight-month training program, to pursue academics and to promote cross-cultural communications upon their enrollment at top colleges and universities nationwide. Founded in 1989, Posse identifies, recruits and trains public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse provides these students with the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams or “posses” of 10 students, with whom they attend colleges and universities across the country with full-tuition leadership scholarships. Middlebury’s first posse graduated in May of 2003, and the College has been involved with the Posse program ever since.
The Middlebury College PPR was held this year at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT, from Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6. The 97 students and 20 faculty and staff members in attendance discussed a unique issue chosen by Posse Scholars: The Millennials. The retreat gave students the opportunity to collaborate, contemplate and discuss what will define this generation of Millennials and reflect upon what legacy they want to leave behind both collectively and individually. Students were pushed to consider simple but timeless questions, such as, “Will you spark change or go with the flow? Will you lead a life you choose or a life that’s been chosen for you? What do you believe in and care about?”
Each Posse scholar invites two guests, or “plussers,” to attend the retreat and partake in this rare opportunity to voice ideas and experience the important national conversation.
“The whole premise behind the PPR is that Posse scholars really wanted to bring other people into the important conversations they were having as leaders,” said Collado. “Posse scholars are encouraged to invite faculty, staff and students whom they would like to have as part of the conversation. It might be someone who is in a class and said something interesting, it might be someone who lives on their floor and they don’t really know well, but they find them interesting and think they should come.”
“We invite people who will probably feel uncomfortable being in that setting, having those conversations, but at the same time really benefit from it,” said Posse Scholar Diane Lopez ’11. “It truly is a diverse group of people, both faculty and students, who really put themselves out there and show interest in the topic; and [it] truly is refreshing to see that people actually care.”
The inclusion of “plussers” at the Posse Retreat brings together people from different backgrounds and interests, while the engaging weekend sets the foundation for new relationships.
“Through the activities, we were all able to learn about the different stories of each person,” said Posse Plusser Missan DeSouza ’14. “This retreat gave all who participated a chance to be vulnerable among strangers, but also the space to develop new relationship.”
“It was not until I interacted with students there that I captured the spirit and complexity of this very unique group of students,” said Posser Plusser and Assistant Professor of Economics and International Politics and Economics Leticia Arroyo Abad. “It was, by far, the most diverse group I have seen in Middlebury.”
The retreat consisted of conversations and activities facilitated by trained staff from the Posse Foundation in New York and by Posse scholars themselves. The interactive and challenging workshops are designed to tackle important national and campus issues related to the theme of the millennial generation. In the past, retreats have dealt with themes such as race, meritocracy, class, gender, power, social responsibility and education.
“You name it, we [have] talked about it,” said Posse Plusser Melissa Hirsch ’11. “We talked about racism, we talked about class, we talked about relationships, about technology, about what other generations think of our generation, about what we think of other generations, about going forward from the retreat and what kinds of activism we’re interested in, all surrounding this theme of the millennial generation.”
The Posse scholars, who are required to attend the retreat each year, revel in the experience and the opportunity to show others what Posse is about. By creating a safe space for dialogue between the campus’s community members who may not ordinarily interact with one another, retreats have become an important forum to engage in social, cultural and political discussion.
“[The PPR allows us] to invite people from the college community into the ‘world of Posse’ and to teach them about us and who we really are,” said Posse Scholar Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13.
“The retreat is really an amazing experience,” said Lopez. “The beauty of the PPR is that we are all — faculty, plussers and scholars — forced to step out of our comfort zone and really trust the process. Everyone was willing to make themselves vulnerable by sharing their personal anecdotes … We were forced [during certain activities] to sit back and just listen and digest what people were saying … There were a lot of tears, a lot of emotions floating around the room but that was because we were all truly listening.”
“[The PPR] is a place in time where everyone involved can feel and try to hold the indescribable energy that makes Posse what it is,” said Posse Scholar Janet Rodrigues ’12. “I always take away phrases that inspire me, a renewed confidence in myself and my community and, most importantly, new bonds with other Posse scholars and Posse Plus guests.”
The PPR is a memorable experience not only for college students, but for faculty participants as well.
“I’m very proud of the fact that Middlebury faculty and staff devoted that kind of time to be close to students, to hear what students care about but also to contribute to the conversations” said Collado.
“It was a fantastic experience — I very much appreciated the invitation to attend,” said faculty invitee, Associate Professor of Economics Jessica Holmes. “The students were dynamic and engaging, offering unique perspectives on politics, economics, social issues and campus culture.”
As a faculty member, Holmes stressed how she values opportunities such as the retreat where she is able to interact on a more personal level with students outside the classroom. “I learned a lot, met some fascinating students and sincerely hope to be invited again.”
Some of the faculty members in attendance were Posse Mentors, who are faculty or administration members who are responsible for supporting a Posse cohort. Mentors meet with Posse scholars individually and as a group to help guide scholars in areas such as campus life, academics and the scholar’s relationship with the rest of his or her Posse.
“The most important responsibility of the Posse mentor is to make strong personal connections with the scholars so as to ensure there is trust between the mentor and the scholars and among the scholars,” said Posse Mentor and Assistant Professor of Writing Hector Vila. “The mentor’s responsibility — and talent — has to be listening well … This means listening with every part of your being — the mentor has to learn to ‘feel’ the scholar.”
PossePlus Retreats give Posse Mentors the opportunity to engage with Posse scholars outside of the particular posse they advise as well as with other student invitees.
“The retreat was worthwhile for me because I always like to know whom I’m teaching,” said Vila. “It’s a teacher’s responsibility to know his or her students — what they know, how they see themselves and their world. The retreat afforded me opportunities for me to connect with my students in meaningful ways outside the campus,” said Vila.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Studies Professor Tara Affolter will be the Posse Mentor for the incoming cohort and is looking forward to her new role in the program.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to mentor the incoming Posse. Posse scholars are phenomenal students and leaders,” said Affolter. “Quite simply they inspire me to learn, to question and to demand more of myself and the world. The chance to work more closely with Posse in the role of a mentor is a gift and will definitely enrich my life at Middlebury.”
Being a Posse scholar has a profound impact on the lives of many students. It gives them a support group that serves as their family during their time at Middlebury.
“Being that I am from New York, adapting to this environment was somewhat difficult in the beginning,” said Lopez. “I remember my freshman year, I questioned whether this was the place for me, and whether I [could] actually succeed in a place like Middlebury. However, though I had these sentiments, my posse was there to remind me that I can do it, and that we are all in this together. Just having that support group that I can count on for anything has inevitably changed my college career because I knew that I was never alone.”
For some students, college simply would not be a reality without the help of Posse.
“I would not still be here if not for my posse,” said Posse Scholar Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13.
“Being a Posse scholar means being both a leader and a part of a support group,” said Posse Scholar Ashley Guzman ’13. “To me it means being part of a family; a family that I am fortunate enough to have on this campus with me.”
The PPR and the Posse program in general, slows down the college process for students and gives them the opportunity to take a moment to reflect.
“We are always running hard thinking about what’s due, what we will do tomorrow and anxiously project, constantly, about who or what we may be at some undefined point in the future,” said Vila. “This is perhaps most important aspect of the Posse retreat: analysis and reflection that enable all of us — scholars, faculty and staff — to more fully engage with each other in this process we call education in the 21st Century, a very confusing and anxiety-filled process.”
Quick Facts about Posse
- Its first partner institution was Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
- To date, The Posse Foundation has recruited 3,638 Posse Scholars who have won over $402 million in scholarships.
- The Posse Foundation partners with 39 partner colleges and universities in 17 states.
- There are currently over 1,600 Posse Scholars on campuses.
- There are over 1,200 Posse Alumni.
- Posse Scholars have a 90 percent graduation rate.
Posse has sites in...
- Boston
- New York
- Washington D.C.
- Miami
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
