Senior April Htut won a Posse scholarship to Bucknell University Dec. 7, making her one of only ten students from the D.C. area to receive Posse scholarships. 

“I was screaming and jumping up and down when I found out I won,” Htut said. “I was waiting by the phone for hours just to see if I was going to get it. There were so many smart students competing from D.C., so I was really surprised.”

The Posse Foundation awards scholarships to students with exceptional academic and leadership potential. Htut is the only student from Whitman to receive the scholarship this year, which pays for all four years of college tuition.

Htut is president of the Best Buddies club and captain of the girls volleyball team.

From January to August 2011, the ten students from D.C. who won the Posse Scholarship for Bucknell University will meet once a week to participate in leadership training activities, Htut said.

“We’re supposed to develop a really tight bond before we even step on campus in September,” Htut said. “Through retreats and other activities, we’ll be really well prepared to be strong leaders at the university.”

Sarah Houston (’10) won the scholarship last year for Pepperdine University.

The foundation currently serves students in seven different U.S. cities, including D.C., Boston and Chicago. Students in those seven cities can apply to the foundation, and if selected for the semi-finalist round then choose which of the participating colleges to apply to. Six colleges and universities belong to the D.C. chapter.

President Barack Obama donated $125,000 of his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize money to the Posse Foundation to help students who may otherwise find difficulty in the college process.