Senior Earns Posse Scholarship

Loyola Academy senior Eveanna “Evey” Mendoza has been awarded admission to college through The Posse Foundation, which works to improve college access and attests that the key to a promising future for our nation rests on the ability of strong leaders from diverse backgrounds. Since 1989, Posse’s sixty three partner colleges have awarded $1.6 billion in scholarships to over 10,000 Scholars.
The foundation’s goals include expanding the pool from which top colleges and universities recruit outstanding young leaders, helping these institutions be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds, and ensuring that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.

Evey underwent the foundation’s lengthy application and interview process known as the Dynamic Assessment Process (DAP)—a unique evaluation method that identifies young leaders with great potential. Running from September through December each year, DAP finds students who might be missed by the traditional admissions criteria at highly selective schools and uses nontraditional forums to evaluate potential. After each cycle, Posse staff and partner college administrators ultimately select a diverse group of ten students — a Posse — for each institution.

Director of College Counseling Mr. Mark Porcaro worked closely with Evey throughout the process. He explains that fewer than five-percent of applicants are selected as Posse Scholars. “I was impressed by Evey from the moment I met her. She has a maturity and self-awareness rarely seen in someone her age,” says Porcaro.  “Evey is a phenomenal writer, so her college essays really impressed me. However, I knew Evey would really shine in the grueling rounds of Posse interviews. It is a long and arduous process, and Evey had to extensively prepare for each round. I knew the interviewers would see what we at Loyola Academy already know: she is something special.” 
 
Next year, Evey is headed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she will study biochemistry.  At Loyola, she has been involved in soccer, Diversity Club, Unidos and Cafe y Conversacion.  She also actively participated in the Young Women of Color Symposium for Chicagoland students in the spring of 2021.

“I do not think that I would be the successful student I am today without my amazing support system within the LA community,” Evey says. She credits her School Counselor Mrs. Britta Ackron, Admissions Associate Mrs. Lynn Gorman and English Teacher Mrs. Stacey Zupec for having a significant impact on her high school experience. Her favorite class at LA? Chemistry sophomore year and now AP Chemistry this year with Science Teacher Ms. Ann Michels. “Although this is not my best grade, it is my favorite class. I have the best teacher and I meet with her constantly to get help whenever I’m not understanding.”

Evey’s favorite Rambler member happened earlier this year when she was asked to introduce guest speaker Fr. Greg Boyle before an assembly in front of the whole school. “This was sort of an eye opening experience, and I was able to see how much I have grown as a person,” Evey reflects. “Freshman year, I would have never even considered doing this, but I did it now. And it was a very exciting moment in my life.”    
 
More information about The Posse Foundation can be found at https://www.possefoundation.org/.
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