New Orleans Welcomes Second Class of Scholars at Awards Ceremony

In January, Posse New Orleans welcomed 20 new Scholars from the Greater New Orleans area to the Posse program. Over 125 guests, including nominators, principals, friends, family, on-campus Scholars and Posse supporters, celebrated the second annual Awards Ceremony at the Stage Door Canteen at the National WWII Museum.

Chosen from a pool of over 575 students nominated from community-based organizations and public schools in five parishes, these newly selected Scholars have been awarded more than $3 million in leadership merit scholarships from Posse New Orleans’ partner institutions, Bard College and Tulane University.

“We are delighted to welcome our newest class of Scholars to the Posse family,” says Monica Sylvain, the director of Posse New Orleans. “We are committed to developing leaders, and our second cohort is ready to succeed at Bard and Tulane and ultimately in the workforce.”

Posse alumnus Adam Brumer (Grinnell Posse 1, Los Angeles), a member of the New Orleans Advisory Board, congratulated the new Scholars who were then introduced to the crowd with their Posses by Stephen Tremaine, the director of Bard Early College New Orleans Programs, and Erica Woodley, the assistant vice president of student resources and support services at Tulane University.

The ceremony marks the beginning of Pre-Collegiate Training, which prepares Scholars in team building, cross-cultural communication, leadership and academic excellence.

In the fall, Scholars will join Posses already on campus at Bard and Tulane. To date, Posse New Orleans has recruited and identified 40 Scholars who have won approximately $6 million in leadership merit scholarships.