Shirley Romero Carreon ’25 missed speaking in Spanish after she arrived at Cornell College, so she signed up for a second-semester adjunct Spanish class. The instructor mentioned to her that Gente, the campus Latine group, needed executive board members.
Shirley Romero Carreon ’25 of Dallas, Texas, is president of Gente, the campus Latine group. Photo by Megan Amr.
“I thought it was too much responsibility,” says Romero Carreon, who came from Dallas, Texas, in Cornell’s first Posse—a highly selective leadership scholarship program through the Posse Foundation that partners with Cornell.
She didn’t seek the nomination, but the word was out that she would be a good Gente leader and the group appointed her as their public relations chair for the following year.
While others might have declined the appointment, Romero Carreon tapped into her leadership potential when she returned as a sophomore. By then Gente’s president was no longer involved in the club, so she and a small exec board vowed to keep the club going. Over the next 12 months Gente’s budget grew from $3,000 to $16,000, and their Taco Night went from 20 attendees to 80 students in a line reaching out the door.
“People said they were grateful that the club existed. I also think it’s really cool that there are so many people coming to our meetings who aren’t Latino and want to learn more,” says Romero Carreon, now Gente’s president. “There is no way I could let go of this club now.”
Cornell becomes a Posse school
Three years ago Cornell College joined other top liberal arts colleges as a Posse Foundation partner. Since then the college has welcomed four supportive, multicultural teams—Posses—each up to 10 students from urban areas. The scholars complete extensive pre-collegiate training together, arriving on campus with a support system that allows them to thrive and become campus leaders who make a difference, like Romero Carreon.
The Posse Foundation has no requirements on race, gender, or household income. Its goal is to diversify viewpoints in leadership positions—on the campuses they populate, later in their careers, and in service to their communities.
Cornell Director of Admission Drew Shradel is closely involved in Cornell’s selection process for the Posse students.
Director of Admission Drew Shradel
“One of the most challenging things is to pick 10 students out of the finalists. Everything about them is so exciting,” he says. “It is a great opportunity to partner with a group to bring in high-quality students who are also hyper-involved in the campus. They come to campus and really change a community. They are excited and they have a support system, including a Posse mentor.”
After nearly three years and with four Posses on campus, Shradel says he has seen Posse Scholars become campus leaders and get involved in all aspects of campus.
Academic impact
The Posse selection process is so rigorous that fewer than 4–5% of applicants are chosen. Not surprisingly, Posse Scholars make an impact academically, as well as throughout the broader community.
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Ajit Chavan
“Having Posse students in class has completely changed the dynamics of my classrooms,” says Assistant Professor of Computer Science Ajit Chavan. “They lead the classroom by setting examples of active participation and helping their classmates while working on group activities. Their presentations are well-polished, and they connect well with their peers while presenting.”
Lecturer in the Department of Education DeeAnn Grove, the mentor for Posse 2, notes that the scholars are excellent students, made even better during their months of pre-collegiate training as a posse. They are skilled in classroom engagement, in giving presentations, and in their ability to facilitate group work.
“There’s a real potential benefit to Cornell. These are students who have proven that they’re leaders and that they can get things done,” Grove says. “What is unique about Posse is the way they define leadership. They expand the understanding of what it means to be a leader in family and community. What Posse is really interested in is leaders who lead by modeling or who lead from behind. They are leaders who bring out the best in others versus somebody who takes command and tells everybody else what to do.
“For Cornell to say they are a Posse school is a perk that puts us in line with elite institutions,” Grove says.
Mentoring and thriving
Each Posse is assigned a Posse Foundation-trained campus mentor who meets weekly to support them during their first two years.
Admission Representative Kristin Vogel is Cornell’s newest Posse mentor, and she’s excited to work with Posse Puerto Rico in its first year. Last summer she joined other Posse mentors for five days of training in New York City. A few weeks later she flew to Puerto Rico for a retreat, where she met Cornell’s Puerto Rico Posse Scholars.
In addition to the weekly meeting or outing, Vogel meets individually with each scholar every two weeks.
She hosted her Posse in her home, where she had ingredients for them to cook Puerto Rican food. Five scholars who stayed over fall break joined her family for Thanksgiving.
Admission Representative Kristin Vogel
Vogel regularly connects her scholars with campus resources and encourages them to take on “innovative roles of leadership—not what we would consider traditional leadership. To lead by example. For example, leadership through culture exchange is something unique with Posse Puerto Rico specifically,” she says.
Grove, Posse 2’s mentor, focuses their sessions largely on academics, such as how expectations differ from high school and negotiating how to reach out to faculty for support.
“We talk about how to become more effective and efficient learners, managing calendars, majors versus minors, how to identify internships, managing application packets, or going to the Writing Center to polish applications,” she says.
With leadership scholarships and ongoing mentoring and support from partner colleges, Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of 90%.
Leaving campus a better place
Assistant Director of Residence Life Nicole Casal ’18
Assistant Director of Residence Life Nicole Casal ’18 is the Posse 1 and Posse 3 mentor. “Posse Scholars continue to push what ‘normal’ can look like on a college campus by challenging, creating, and giving to the new communities they’ve chosen to be a part of on campus,” she says.
As a student development professional, Casal has noted their campus impact over the past three years. For example, she says, Posse Scholars have met with leadership to discuss changes to the First-Year Seminar, they have rebuilt student organization programs on diversity, and they have excelled in leadership positions such as resident assistants and student managers.
Cornell brings in two Posses a year. Students like Romero Carreon, who rebuilt Gente and the community for Latine students, will continue to arrive and create positive change. As Cornell and Posse alumni, there’s no limit to what these students will achieve.
