Nnenaya Bedminster, a seventeen-year-old VI Native is now a Posse Foundation Scholar. The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains individuals with extraordinary leadership potential. Posse Scholars receive full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner colleges and universities. 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.
Bedminster was first nominated by her High School Counselor at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year and later underwent a rigorous 4-month selection process. The three-part process included group and individual interviews. The DAP process used nontraditional forums to evaluate potential, offering nominated students an opportunity to demonstrate their intrinsic leadership ability, their skill at working in a team setting, and their motivation and drive to succeed. Posse staff and partner college administrators ultimately select a diverse group of 10 students — a Posse — for each institution.
In December 2024, Bedminster beat thousands of students to land one of the top spots and a full 4-year academic scholarship from a partner university, The College of William & Mary. “I am extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished and grateful for this incredible opportunity”, Bedminster stated. Annually, 17,000 students are nominated across the nation, less than 650 are selected. Born and raised in St. Croix, Nnenaya relocated to Virginia ahead of her sophomore year and has continued to be a standout student. Her other lists of accomplishments include Citizenship Award Winner, National Honor Society Inductee, Key Club Inductee, Hanover Scholar, PH Step Captain and All-Star Basketball Peer Coach…