How WriteGirl Helped Two Mentees Become 2023 Posse Scholars

For more than two decades, WriteGirl has guided high school senior mentees in our Core Mentoring Program to enroll in college — many with scholarships and as the first in their families to go on to higher education. They are heading to colleges such as Bard, Georgetown, Sarah Lawrence, NYU and Yale. Volunteers on the WriteGirl College Access Team help mentees through the entire college application process, from working on admissions essays to finding scholarships and financial aid.

One of our focuses includes the prestigious Posse Scholarship, which gives full-tuition scholarships to attend a number of colleges and universities in the Posse network. In addition to tuition, Posse scholars also receive mentorship; during their first two years of college, they attend both group and individual sessions with mentors. Career-focused programming also helps scholars with pursuing internships, researching graduate programs and connecting with Posse alumni.

Scholars, who are high school seniors, must be nominated by their school or a community organization. This is where WriteGirl comes in. The college team has previously nominated Los Angeles-based students, and this year we were able to expand nominations to include students in New York and New Orleans.

Two of our nominees this year were selected as Posse Foundation scholarship winners! WriteGirl mentee Nyarai, the New York nominee, will be a Posse scholar at Smith College and WriteGirl mentee Lael, the New Orleans nominee, will be a Posse scholar at Texas A&M.

The merit scholarship takes into consideration criteria like leadership potential and academic excellence. Nyarai says she first learned about Posse through a WriteGirl email, and she knew it could be a great opportunity to help her parents with the cost of college.

nyarai, posse scholar at smith college

“I originally wasn’t going to ask to be nominated because the little voice in my head told me the process would be too much and that I won’t be chosen anyways,” Nyarai said. “However, last minute, I asked to be nominated and I’m glad I did.”

Nyarai said she wanted to help her parents, and was also interested in the mentorship aspect of the scholarship.

After WriteGirl determined the nominees, the next step was to prepare them for the three-phase interview process.

“WriteGirl allowed me to confidently and smoothly answer questions through the resources offered such as mock interviews and setting expectations of the Posse program,” Lael said. “WriteGirl guided me through the process of researching different colleges and I also had a mentor that helped me through the actual interview process.”

Leslie Awender, WriteGirl College Program Manager, says that the process of applying to college can often be confusing and overwhelming. The team works to encourage teens to follow their passions and aim high. WriteGirl believes in the potential of youth to achieve their academic and career goals. The college team is an important part of these efforts.

“We have no agenda as far as which schools we think they should go to, but we emphasize the importance of applying to a range of schools so that hopefully they will have options at the end of the process,” said Awender.

Nyarai plans to pursue a pre-law track at Smith, and study government, with a minor in either sociology, psychology or Africana studies. She says that beyond the Posse nomination, WriteGirl’s college team also helped with writing her personal essay for college applications.

Lael will be attending Texas A&M University at College Station, where she will major in Human Resources Management with a minor in Psychology. She also plans to go to law school after graduating.

Lael, Posse scholar at texas a&m university

“I already knew that I love to write, but WriteGirl helped me understand that there is strength in my writing,” Lael says. “I want to help people connect to themselves and each other by being the best version of themselves. I believe that I can do this through our legal system with strong knowledge of human resources and psychology.”

The Posse scholarships are prestigious awards, and WriteGirl’s college team believes in helping mentees research how they might pursue higher education despite any financial challenges.

“One of the most important things we do is try to impart to the mentees that NO school is worth taking on a tremendous debt for, no matter how much they might feel like it's their 'dream school.' We do a lot of work to help them understand the financial aid process and realize that it is possible to get a great education that is affordable, even if they have no tuition help from family,” said Awender.

This is just one story – well, two stories, actually – exemplifying how WriteGirl helps teens write their way to brilliant futures.

“We are overjoyed for these mentees!” said Awender. “It's an incredible honor, and they've worked very hard to get to this point. We are tremendously proud of them!”