"Posse" Of Miami Public School Students Awarded Tuition-Free Ride To College

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Sixty of the happiest high school kids in Miami marched into a special awards ceremony Tuesday evening.

Proud family members filled the hall at Jungle Island.

The young men and women are heading to college in groups of 10 called a "Posse."

"So, we are now at 6,000 kids into college with this program," said Michael Ainslie with the Posse Foundation.

The Posse Foundation identifies and recruits students from urban communities with academic and leadership skills.

The foundation then places the student in top universities, tuition free.

This is because the Posse Foundation coordinates with the universities to come up with the scholarships.

Some of these students are going to schools like Pomona College, Syracuse University and Mount Holyoke College.

"Yeah four years of tuition, this is amazing," said Posse Scholar Flavia Oliveira.

Through the Posse program, the groups of 10 support each other as they go through four years of school.

"I got a call. It was really breath taking," said Justin Madison. "Good to know I would not pressure my family with money."

"The night that I got the call I just broke down in tears," said Marisol Fernandez, "because I was so grateful for this opportunity I have been granted."