St. Margaret Mary teens earn coveted scholarships

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Jayden Davis of Holy Cross School and Michael Ekenta of Brother Martin High School received the gift of a lifetime Jan. 4.

The two high school seniors were among a new cohort of 42 local students presented with a four-year scholarship from the nonprofit Posse Foundation to attend one of 63 partner colleges or universities. Davis and Ekenta, both parishioners of St. Margaret Mary Church in Slidell, will attend Tulane University and study for a future medical career.

“The scholarship really made it possible for me to go (to Tulane),” Ekenta, 18, said, adding that he was also offered scholarships to Xavier University of Louisiana, Clark University, Louisiana State University and St. Louis University.

Augustinian Father Peter Donohue, president of Villanova, inspired both awardees, who are African-American, with his speech at the Jan. 4 event held at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Ekenta recalls him mentioning how Posse upheld Villanova’s values of inclusion and equality and how they, as future leaders, shouldn’t take the scholarships they received for granted.

“What stuck with me the most was the importance of having a diverse representation in academia and outside of academia, especially with Christianity,” said Davis, 17, who is an archdiocesan Teen Cross leader. “A lot of times minorities get excluded in college applications.”

Diversity in leaders key
The Posse Foundation launched nationally in 1989 and, with 63 partner schools, has awarded more than $2 billion to approximately 12,000 students. The scholarship model has proven that a small, diverse group of talented students – a posse – is a catalyst for individual and community development by building “a network of leaders that better reflects our country’s rich diversity.” It took flight when a student said, “I never would have dropped out of college if I’d had my ‘posse’ with me.”

Ekenta, who was born in Nigeria, aspires to be a neurosurgeon to help others. He said he was introduced to neurosurgery in an AP Psychology course at Brother Martin and further piqued his love for medicine  at Ochsner STAR.

“They played a big role in exposing me to the medical field,” he said. “I had never been in a lab before, and I got to see surgeries. The Ochsner STAR Program was really intense.”

Ekenta, who said he struggled with ADHD and ADD, maintains a summer internship at American Active Rehab learning how mental illness affects himself and others. He says he enjoys sharing his experiences with patients, who are mostly children.

“I plan on advancing my knowledge not only by continuing my education but also maintaining my internship at the rehab as it offers me direct contact with the lives of those who are affected the most and gives me a better chance to become the change I aspire to be.” As a neurosurgeon, he plans to focus on the Black community and dreams of returning to Africa, where he still has family, to help elevate Nigeria’s health care system.

Davis, a Holy Cross student since eighth grade, is captain of the debate team, chairman of the Brother Aiden O’Reilly Debate Society, head of the Student Council’s Christian Mission initiative, a Holy Cross Scholar and an International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas finalist. He will be in the pre-med track with concentrations in cellular and molecular biology at Tulane.

“After I receive my medical degree, I hope to continue to serve my community, helping close the divide between Black patients and health care providers,” Davis said.

Getting Posse scholarship
To be considered by Posse, Scholarship candidates are nominated and submit an application. Both Ekenta and Davis underwent Posse’s Dynamic Assessment Process (DAP) last fall, participating in group and individual meetings where situations were posed and candidates reacted. These meetings helped Posse members and partner colleges and universities identify students who possess strong leadership qualities in a team setting and their motivation to succeed. The partner schools then selected approximately 10 students in their “posse” that will remain together for support throughout college. Ekenta and Davis were selected from more than 700 applicants this year.

“They weren’t just looking for how outgoing you were … but they were looking for who you were as a person,” Davis surmised.

Pre-college, Posse recipients meet with Posse peers for workshops on academic excellence, team building and group support, cross-cultural communication and leadership and how to be an active agent of change. Scholars graduate at a rate of 90%, Posse noted.

To ensure success in college, Posse staff visits scholarship recipients several times a year, campus liaisons and mentors meet with students weekly, there are PossePlus Retreats and connections to competitive internships and leadership-track jobs.

Davis is ecstatic over Posse’s Tulane scholarship. Without it, it would have been financially difficult for his family. With it, he has a community of support.

“I’m a shy person, and having 10 people go through Posse with me as well as the trainers who will guide us through the process and afterwards (will help),” Davis said. “That whole community environment will be critical to succeed in college. … There’s over 12,000 Posse alumni and all range from important doctors, journalists, lawyers and even college presidents. The connections alone from being part of the Posse family is incredible as well as the friends you will gain in college. Having those friendships of people from all parts of life and viewpoints will not only open my own perspectives, I will have more people to lean on in the future.”

“My parents raised us with the saying that with hard work and prayers, you can achieve anything your heart desires, regardless of your background,” Ekenta said. “I am a testimony that you can come from nothing, but end up as somebody.”

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