This year Phoenix is proud to announce that one of their cadets has won Posse, a scholarship that provides full tuition for four years. Cadet Abigail Pio won the Posse scholarship to Cornell University.

“What led me to apply to Posse was two reasons. The first was that they would pay for my college tuition. The second was that I would have a whole family made of other students to help me through my college experience once attending,” said Pio.

Many students apply for this scholarship for various reasons, Abigail explains how her family’s motivation and pride pushed her to be the best student she could be.

“My motivation was my parents. I wanted to give back to them and take charge of paying for college in the most efficient way and I knew Posse was the most beneficial,” said Pio.

Although it was a rigorous process that consisted of intimidating interviews and essays Abigail pushed through and managed to keep her spirits high.

“I was extremely hopeful throughout the whole process. There was not a single moment where I lost my faith. I felt as if the scholarship was meant to be a part of my life and I did not want to give up on it,” she said.

“In the final interview, I was in a room with twenty other competitors including myself and we were interviewed by the Posse staff and Cornell staff. Then, when placed in a different group, we presented a social problem. At last, the Posse interview process was a “long but fulfilling journey,” said Pio.