Lane proves to be School of Champions — even in college scholarships

By Alex Chanen|February 12, 2016

Lane's Posse Scholars for the Class of 2016. Order: Back: Omar Espino (UW Madison), Kamil Lungu (Pomona College) Front: Anna Shats (Cornell University), Alina Panek (Denison University), Kimberly Gutierrez (Denison University), Tabatha Sotomayor (DePauw University), Mayra Leon (DePauw University), Maria Ishak (DePauw University), Rene Valenzuela (Pomona College), Julia Comacchio (Middlebury College), Manali Desai (University of Michigan)
Colin Boyle
Lane’s Posse Scholars for the Class of 2016.
Order: Back: Omar Espino (UW Madison), Kamil Lungu (Pomona College)
Front: Anna Shats (Cornell University), Alina Panek (Denison
University), Kimberly Gutierrez (Denison University), Tabatha
Sotomayor (DePauw University), Mayra Leon (DePauw University), Maria
Ishak (DePauw University), Rene Valenzuela (Pomona College), Julia
Comacchio (Middlebury College), Manali Desai (University of Michigan)

This time of year, many seniors are starting to receive initial acceptance letters to colleges, but some Lane students are taking that much farther.

Eleven Lane seniors, received the Posse scholarship, which is a full-tuition scholarship to some of the country’s top universities and colleges.

“I felt Pomona was too much of a reach for me,” said Kamil Lungu, Division 665, a Posse Scholar for Pomona College.  “It’s so intimidating, but luck happened and great things happen for a reason.”

Much more than luck is needed to get the Posse scholarship.  Students who are awarded Posse are chosen for their skills in leadership, and go through a rigorous interview process to win the award.

The goal of the Posse Scholarship is for students to go to college with a group of kids who they already know so they are able to transition easier.

When they win the scholarship, they are placed into a “posse” of 10-11 fellow scholars.

“I fell in love with them,” Tabatha Sotomayor, Division 665 said.

 After winning the award, the scholars prepare to go to college by going through a pre-collegiate training process with their Posse.

“We go to weekly meetings, to train for the process. We hang out, we just met each other and we’re trying to break the ice,” Lungu said.

All students chose their respective schools for different reasons. Sotomayor chose her school, DePauw, because of the closeness of the student body.

“Everyone’s friends with each other, and since there is a large greek life, everyone’s brothers and sisters and that’s something I value a lot,” Sotomayor said.

Another scholarship three Lane students received was the Questbridge Scholarship, which  gives students who are described as “under-served” and may not be able to afford the institutions they are qualified to go to.

Lane's Questbridge Scholars for the Class of 2016
Colin Boyle
Lane’s Questbridge Scholars for the Class of 2016. Order from left to right Diana Sanchez (University of Chicago), Guochuan Zhang (University of Chicago), Christopher Obizor (Columbia University)

Questbridge Scholarship winners, Christopher Obizor (Columbia University), Diana Sanchez (University of Chicago), and Guochuan Zhang (University of Chicago), are given a full-ride scholarship by the university.

“To be honest, I cried,” Diana Sanchez, Division 674 said, of learning of her winning the Scholarship. “I didn’t know what school I got accepted to cause I was crying.”

Eleven Lane Students won the Posse Scholarship this year, which is the most out of any Chicago school where the Posse Scholarship is available.

For more information on the Posse Scholarship, visit possefoundation.org

For more information on the Questbridge Scholarship, visit questbridge.org