Posse Alum, Conn Dean Welcomes Newest Class of Posse Scholars
New York welcomed 125 new Posse Scholars in two Awards Ceremonies at The Times Center this past January. The group of young leaders were awarded more than $32 million in scholarships and were joined at the celebration by family, friends, Posse alumni and college officials.
This year’s Scholars were selected from a pool of more than 3,000 nominees. They have won full-tuition merit scholarships from Posse New York’s 11 partner colleges and universities: Babson College, Brandeis University, Connecticut College, Franklin & Marshall College, Lafayette College, Lawrence University, Middlebury College, Smith College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt University, Wheaton College.
The new Scholars were welcomed into the Posse community by representatives from their colleges and universities.
Connecticut College Posse liaison and alum Erika Smith, who is also the dean of the college and vice president for retention and success, told Scholars, “You did this! The Posse selection process is both really exciting and incredibly competitive. All you had to do was show up and be your amazing, dazzling, brilliant selves—and you all did exactly that.”
Erika said, “I remember being told at that time Posse was a leadership initiative. Had I been asked I probably would have told you I didn’t think of myself as a leader.”
Today, Erika boasts a 25-year career in higher education and sits on the boards of both her undergraduate alma mater and her child’s independent school.
Erika earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University, a master of education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a master’s and Ph.D. in social policy from Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Prior to joining Connecticut College, Erika worked at Brandeis for 21 years, where she served as the Dean of Academic Services, among other roles.
Erika told Scholars that she and other Posse alumni use their “seats at the table” to advance their fields, the nation, and the world.
“I cannot wait to see what the newest class of Posse Scholars have in store for years to come!”
After completing eight months of Pre-Collegiate Training, the newest Posse Scholars will matriculate as the Class of 2030 at their respective institutions.
