Centre News

Nine of the ten high school students who will enroll at Centre in
the fall as the seventh group of Posse Scholars on campus pose
above at an awards ceremony on Jan. 5. The Posse Foundation
gives students from urban areas scholarships to colleges and
universities throughout the United States.

The Posse Program has been present — and successful — at Centre for six years, and this fall, Centre will welcome a seventh group of Posse Scholars to campus as incoming first-years.

This group of Posse Scholars, made up of ten students from the Boston area, includes nine students who will be first-generation college students for their families. Carrie Frey, reference and interlibrary loan librarian at Centre’s Grace Doherty Library, will act as a mentor for the incoming Posse Scholars.

“I’m very honored and excited to be involved with the Posse 7 students in the coming academic years,” Frey says. “The Posse program enables Centre to benefit from a broader cultural pool of students while also giving these students the chance to experience the benefits of study at Centre College, an institution that might otherwise be outside the realm of possibility or immediate interest for these students.”

Frey will meet and get to know the Posse Scholars before they even arrive for orientation at Centre this fall, and she will continue to spend time with them throughout their college careers.

“In my role as the Posse Mentor, I will travel to Boston and New York this summer in order to meet with the Posse 7 students for an intensive time getting to know them. I will also spend ten to fifteen hours a week with the Posse 7 students during the academic year for the next two years,” says Frey. “This time will help the students to transition to campus life at a small liberal arts institution and to get the very most — both academically and personally — from the experience.”

Ashley Barker, who will be in the Class of 2016 when she arrives at Centre, looks forward to being part of this group of Posse Scholars.

“For me, the most exciting thing about being a Posse Scholar is being able to be part of a large organization that represents the youth of America. It gives us a chance to show what we can do to our fullest,” Barker says. “Also, I'm excited by the fact that I can find new friendships with Posse, and that I’m able to be who I am and bring my culture somewhere new.”

Barker is already thinking about how she can get involved at Centre.

“What I’m most looking forward to about going to Centre is the newspaper,” she says, referring to Centre’s student newspaper, The Cento. “I love to write and since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve written for an all-girls magazine and a newspaper for teens in Boston Public High Schools, so the fact that I’m able to continue that at Centre excites me.”

Frey hopes that the Posse 7 Scholars will enjoy becoming a part of the Centre community as much as she has.

“One of the greatest strengths of Centre College, in addition to a commitment to academic excellence, is the sense of community on our campus. I have had the opportunity to develop some close relationships with students in my role as a research and interlibrary loan librarian. I have watched these students develop study and research habits and personal connections that will benefit them in their future study and career paths,” Frey says. “I enjoy working closely with students to ensure that their Centre experience is the very best in terms of academic and personal growth. I cannot wait to meet the Posse 7 students and to accompany them on their Centre journey.”

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail elizabeth.trollinger@centre.edu with your feedback.

Centre College, founded in 1819 and chosen to host its second Vice Presidential Debate in 2012, is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges, at 42nd in the nation, and ranks 27th for best value among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 34th among all the nation’s colleges and universities and has named Centre in the top five among all institutions of higher education in the South for three years in a row. Centre is also ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News for its study abroad program. For more, click here.