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Black and White Library

Timeless Narratives: 
Posse Oral History

Fanta Diop '25
NY Posse '23

Project 
Overview

NY Posse '23

NY Posse '23 

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My purpose

The inspiration for this project stemmed from the desire to further my understanding of Posse through the eyes of its scholars.

 

This project started as my final for Black Middlebury, a course I had the pleasure of taking in my final year at Middlebury.

As I reflected on my 4 years as a Posse scholar, I began to feel that my perspective and experiences were not well-documented in the dominant Middlebury "experience".

Thus, leading me to begin this journey of documenting the posse "experience". ​

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My process

Initially, my goal was to only interview three of Middlebury's current New York Posse scholars across different class years.

I began with questions like: 

 

What did you think the mission of Posse was?

How did that differ from what you experienced?

 

As we delved into their lived experiences at Middlebury -- the project quickly grew past what I had initially imagined it to be. 

My interviews began to take shape as oral histories -- an open reflection of shared experiences, memories, and stories between myself and my subjects. 

 

As I think about the future of this project, I want to continue to explore and document the “real vs ideal” of the scholars' experience.

I hope to connect with Posse staff (mentors and HQ administrators) who work with the scholars to gain a deeper understanding of the internal processes of Posse. 

Their Stories

The Posse Foundation

Mission

Posse was founded in 1989 because of one student who said,
“I never would’ve dropped out of college if I’d had my posse with me.”

The idea was simple -- send a group of students together to college so they could “back each other up”. 

"The Posse model works for both students and college campuses and is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development. As the United States becomes an increasingly multicultural society, Posse believes that the leaders of the 21st century should reflect the country’s rich demographic mix. The key to a promising future for our nation rests on the ability of strong leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop consensus solutions to complex social problems.
Posse’s primary aim is to train these leaders of tomorrow."
(Posse Foundation)
Posse's website identifies three goals:

1. To expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds.

2. To help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds.

​3. To ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.

Alumnae Stories

Megan & Destini Oral History

Megan & Destini Oral History

For the full interview: click here

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