Northwestern University Celebrates a Decade of Successful Partnership with the Posse Foundation

Northwestern University is celebrating a decade-long partnership with the Posse Foundation’s Los Angeles chapter, which brings a new cohort of Southern California-based students to the university each year. The program is a prime example of the success that Posse has had at Northwestern over the past decade. The program has a cross-institutional support system in place to help each student.

“If you have a talented student, what are all the things that student might need to be successful?” Brown asked. “I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what will help this particular student thrive. It’s a matter of asking a lot of questions and getting to know the students,” said Justin Brown, faculty mentor for this year’s cohort of Posse Scholars and an associate professor of instruction in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in cellular neuroscience.

Just as the students in the cohort look out for one another, a dedicated group of faculty and staff is committed to making sure Posse Scholars take advantage of all the university resources available to them. This group, called Posse’s Posse, follows the trajectory of each student and guides them along the way. Representing faculty and staff from 15 departments across campus, Posse’s Posse includes a diverse group of backgrounds and expertise, but each member shares the common goal of empowering students, connecting them to resources across campus, and making sure they feel a sense of belonging.

“We know that Northwestern has an abundance of resources, and yet sometimes our students may not know of them or know how to access them,” said Daviree Laurel Velázquez Phillip, executive director of Campus Inclusion and Community. “Posse’s Posse creates more direct connection to support a student’s navigation of this landscape.”

Huma Manjra graduated in June from Weinberg College. When she was a first-year student, Manjra struggled with her mental health and decided to return home to California to take care of herself.

But because of her Posse network at Northwestern, Manjra had friends and mentors asking how she was and encouraging her to come back to Evanston when ready.

“It was because of Posse that I had the strength to return to school,” Manjra said. “I knew that I could come back because I had this community of friends and mentors waiting for me. It’s about being a part of something. You’re thousands of miles away from home, but you don’t feel alone because you have this support system.”

Learn more in Northwestern Now’s article, “Celebrating 10 years of support for Northwestern’s Posse Scholars.”