Best put by rapper Kanye West, “Education puts Americans into debt before they can even get started.” Universities hit their students hard with pricy tuition and strange fees that force them to take out loans from either banks or the university itself. With money in their minds, high school seniors applying for colleges also look to apply for scholarships based on either their academic achievement or demographics.

NC senior Jayden Bourne recently received the Posse Foundation Scholarship, which will pay for his tuition completely for his four undergraduate years at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C.

“The whole basis of the scholarship is to evaluate students based on qualities that cannot be measured by SAT or ACT,” Bourne said.

In order to qualify for this scholarship, Bourne received a nomination from his counselor. After selected from the preliminary pool, he then attended three different series of interviews from Posse and GWU representatives.

“In the interviews, I was asked to demonstrate my professionalism and leadership ability,” Bourne said.

After the interview process, he waited for the results of the winners, and sure enough, he saw his name on the recipient list, earning him the ultimate title of Posse Scholar.

“It really lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders knowing that I will not have to take out any loans for college,” Bourne said.

Since receiving the scholarship, the work for Bourne did not stop there. The nine other Posse Scholars and Bourne attend weekly meetings to obtain necessary pre-collegiate training.

“These sessions include workshops on how we can become effective leaders on our college campuses,” Bourne said.

One can only imagine that winning a prestigious scholarship would open up doors for internships and job offers in companies, and Bourne quickly jumped on opportunities..

“I’ve already provided my information to several internships and made connections with various professionals throughout Atlanta,” Bourne said.

Now that Bourne set his college plans in stone, staying in the country’s capital can help him advance in what he wants to accomplish when he graduates.

“I’m looking forward to living in a major city and being involved in such a politically active college environment,” Bourne said.

The whole process of winning the Posse Foundation Scholarship appears daunting with three face-to-face interviews with the people who make the final decisions. The interview process should not scare anyone away, according to Bourne.

“Do not overthink the interviews. As long as you [can] be yourself and go out of your way to pretend to be someone you’re not, the judges will handle the rest,” Bourne said.

Bourne plans to major in Business Administration at GWU, and after graduation he intends to work his way up the corporate ladder in a business company.