PossePlus Retreat Captures Youth Views on Current Events

Former college admissions administrator for the University of Chicago Amy Kennelly Viellieu leverages her experience with application evaluation in her work with the Posse Foundation. Amy Kennelly Viellieu has held volunteer and paid roles with the foundation, which selects promising high school seniors and prepares them to enroll and excel at one of its partner institutions. These include highly-selective schools such as the University of Michigan and the Cornell University.

Every year, Posse Scholars host PossePlus, a weekend retreat held on their respective campuses to encourage conversations amongst the student body and faculty. The tradition was first proposed by Posse Scholars at Vanderbilt University to include a wider segment of the student population in important dialogue. Every retreat focuses on a topic selected by Posse Scholars.

In 2019, the PossePlus retreat centered on political issues affecting the country. A survey capturing participant opinions found that more than 95 percent of students were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in US politics. More than 5,000 participants also shared their views on healthcare, the economy, higher education costs, and immigration.