Record Number of MCPS Students Receive Full-Tuition Posse Scholarships

January 9, 2013
Twenty-three Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students—the largest number ever in MCPS—have been named recipients of full-tuition, four-year college scholarships from the Posse Foundation.

The Posse program identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential that may have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Forty-four colleges and universities each offer full-tuition scholarships to students throughout the country and create multicultural teams—called Posses—on each campus. These student teams receive professional guidance before and throughout college and provide support to one another. On campus, these students serve in important leadership roles.


Posse programs are located in eight different regions—Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans and New York—and nearly 1,600 students are nominated nationwide for the scholarships. This year, Posse will open its ninth site in Houston.

Last year, MCPS had 15 posse Foundation scholarship winners. This year’s recipients come from 14 different schools. They are:


Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
  • Feevan B. Megersa, attending Lafayette College
  • Nehemiah D. Siyoum, attending University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Noah E. Wossen, attending Pepperdine University

James Hubert Blake High School
  • Gregory S. Chaimson, attending Bucknell University
  • Cecilia A. Kwakye, attending Grinnell College

Montgomery Blair High School
  • Fridien R. Nana Tchoukoua, attending Sewanee: The University of the South

Winston Churchill High School
  • Adrien Bossogo-Egoume, attending University of Wisconsin-Madison

Gaithersburg High School
  • Alfredo Sebastian Colina Iturralde, attending Grinnell College
  • Doralina Ruiz-Fleites, attending University of Wisconsin-Madison

Colonel Zadok Magruder High School
  • Gabrielle K. Matthews, attending Grinnell College

Northwood High School
  • Dawit E. Blackwell, attending Lafayette College
  • Luis Roberto Gomez, attending Lafayette College

Paint Branch High School
  • Alexander J. Holt, attending Grinnell College
  • Ruth W. Isaac, attending Grinnell College

Poolesville High School
  • Katherine Cedillos, attending Lafayette College

Rockville High School
  • Zhixiang Lin, attending Pepperdine University
  • Aaron D. Weerasinghe, attending Grinnell College
  • David J. Welch, attending University of Wisconsin-Madison

Seneca Valley High School
  • Ariel Karline Eyra Ablah Nelson, attending Grinnell College

Sherwood High School
  • Ernest Williams III, attending Bucknell University

Watkins Mill High School
  • Nirupa Basnet, attending Lafayette College
  • Anna T. Oluyomi, attending Bucknell University

Wheaton High School
  • Taylor N. Lyles, attending Bucknell University

Posse Foundation


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