Rutgers’ Inaugural Boston Posse Cohort Graduates
When Boston’s first Posse at Rutgers University graduated this spring, it marked more than the completion of four years of college. For the cohort of Scholars who arrived together as the university’s inaugural Posse, graduation also represented the culmination of a journey spent building traditions, community, and support for future cohorts.
Colleene Kabaria remembers arriving on campus knowing she and her Posse would be navigating unfamiliar territory together.
“It was exciting, but also nerve-wracking,” says Colleene. “We had a lot of questions.”
Without Posse Scholars in classes ahead to turn to, Colleene and her cohort leaned on their Rutgers’ mentors and administrators, Posse staff, and family as they learned to navigate the large university. Equally pivotal were the bonds the Posse Scholars had formed with each other during Posse’s Pre-Collegiate Training Program months before arriving to campus. Colleene credits all of these relationships as critical to her cohort’s success.
“Posse gave us the resources,” says Colleene. “They connected us with really good people at Rutgers and were always willing to help us.”
Like many students, Colleene’s plans evolved once she arrived on campus. She entered Rutgers convinced marketing was the right path before realizing it wasn’t the best fit. With encouragement from her Posse mentor, Dr. Hazel-Anne Johnson-Marcus, she changed her major to human resource management.
“I was really scared to switch,” says Colleene. “I thought I would be wasting time. But it ended up being the best decision I could have made.”
The decision introduced Colleene to a field she quickly grew passionate about, particularly the ways workplace culture and employee engagement shape people’s experiences and opportunities. Posse also encouraged Colleene to step beyond her comfort zone. During her junior year, she studied abroad in Greece—her first trip outside the United States. The experience broadened her perspective, strengthened the cross-cultural skills she had developed through Posse, and introduced her to Scholars from Posse sites across the country.
By her senior year, Rutgers had grown from one Posse cohort to four, including one that welcomed her younger brother, Dylan. Having once been among the first Scholars finding their place on campus, Colleene embraced the opportunity to help younger Scholars build community and feel at home.
“It was amazing to see how much Posse had grown,” says Colleene. “We knew exactly how the younger students felt, and we could help them build community and feel at home.”
After graduating this spring, Colleene will remain at Rutgers to pursue a master’s degree in human resource management. Looking ahead, she hopes to build a career focused on organizational culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion within the global fashion industry.
