As Richmond Hill High School senior Hemendra Bhola was crossing the Delaware River aboard a Greyhound bus as part of a group of 10 students on their way to an overnight visit at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., he could only marvel at how well his college plans had proceeded.


“Two short years ago,” he said, “I was back in a small town in Guyana. Soon I’ll be studying at one of the elite universities in the United States.”

Bhola is the latest student from his school to be awarded a full scholarship through the efforts of the Posse Foundation. For the past 20 years, the foundation has been identifying, recruiting and training students from public high schools to study at one of 30 top-tier partner colleges.
Richmond Hill High School, a neighborhood school serving students from south central Queens, can boast a dozen winners of this $144,000 competitive scholarship over the last eight years to colleges such as Babson, Brandeis, Dickinson and Wheaton.
Like most of his classmates, Bhola began his senior year in September figuring he would attend one of the City University of New York or State University of New York branches, where reasonable tuition is within the reach of working and middle class families.
Several weeks into the semester, however, he was informed by his high school college advisor Robert Boykin that he would be one of 10 outstanding juniors selected for consideration to compete for the Posse Scholarship, a selection based on grade point average, SAT score and teacher recommendations.
After an intensive selection process involving interviews, extemporaneous speaking on social and political issues and a variety of group projects, Bhola was one of 141 students selected from a city-wide pool of over 3,000 students to be awarded a scholarship to his chosen school, Lafayette College.
For the last eight months, he has attended weekly meetings at the Posse Foundation headquarters in the Wall Street area, where he has participated in a training program designed to foster team building and group support, cross cultural communication, leadership development and academic success. One especially enjoyable activity had students decipher clues which led to major landmarks throughout New York City.
Once at Lafayette, Bhola and his colleagues will be met by a group of other scholars already on campus, who will serve as a support system for the newcomers. Bhola plans to study history and is considering a career as a teacher.
A self-proclaimed history buff, Bhola got hooked on the subject by watching broadcasts of the History Channel back in Guyana. “I would put something in the microwave or oven and get so engrossed in a program that I would completely forget about it,” he said.
Bhola’s interest in history has made him the darling of the school’s social studies teachers. “He has a great thirst for knowledge and is passionate about history and government,” U.S. history teacher Amy Oberster said. “He is really a joy to have in the classroom.” Calling Bhola “unique and wise beyond his years, U.S. government teacher Ananina Vojvodic added that Bhola is “so smart in so many areas.”
Bhola’s selection by the Posse Foundation was no surprise to Principal Frances De Sanctes, who has made her school’s commitment to rigorous academic preparation one of her signature issues since taking over as principal two years ago.
“We want the community to know that our top students take a backseat to no one,” she said. “We are grateful to organizations like the Posse Foundation for helping our students attend prestigious colleges, which they could not otherwise afford. But I also feel that Posse is grateful to us for providing such outstanding young men and women.”
The selection for the next group of Posse Foundation applicants is already under way. College advisor Boykin is busy reviewing this year’s junior class. “We’re looking for students who are not only academically strong, but mature enough to deal with being away from home outside of their usual element,” he said. “We’ve had great success with our Posse winners. We try to keep in contact with them to see how they are doing. I’m confident that Hemendra will flourish at Lafayette.”

Freak, Bharat gave him a great Educational foundation, so i am not surprise that he is at the Top. Anyway, Congrats to the Youngster.

who? Jack Bharat?

When Guyanese intellects are provided with the right environmental and social conditions they are second to none.

You mean Jack Bharat, Paper supplier??

So good to see this happening in Richmond Hill. My impression is this outcome is not regular among the R/Hill first generation Guyanese. Congrats to the kid! This wonderful student of course had a perception/value start in GY.

Thank you for your honesty Mr PHD.

quote:

Originally posted by TK:
So good to see this happening in Richmond Hill. My impression is this outcome is not regular among the R/Hill first generation Guyanese. Congrats to the kid! This wonderful student of course had a perception/value start in GY.

dem yutes in GY watchin History Channel nowadays yeh, wut were we doin bird watchin?

quote:

Originally posted by Nehru:
You mean Jack Bharat, Paper supplier??

bite yuh tongue yeh, is Mr Hoffice Supplies Suppliya tuh yuh

quote:

So good to see this happening in Richmond Hill. My impression is this outcome is not regular among the R/Hill first generation Guyanese.

RH HS doan tun out tuh many skullahs bai,

dis yung man is muy especial

History Channel eh! Parents must have had Direct TV or he was living on the East Bank where the Atlantic cable company operates. Yes, the same cable company that Baby Kong tried to stop operating two years ago.

ECD residents gettin cable channels and so do folks in GT

Atlantic Cable on avail pon de EB?

quote:

Originally posted by DaFreak:
ECD residents gettin cable channels and so do folks in GT

Atlantic Cable on avail pon de EB?

Atlantic Cable Company financed by Chet Singh began operations on the East Bank eight years ago.
Offers about 50 pirated premium channels for US$15 per month. Altantic Cable wanted to expand to GT and the East Coast but were prevented from doing so by the GOG. The GOG wanted to enact the Broadcast act.

About one year ago, after waiting on the GOG for seven years to pass this legislature the company got fed up waiting and tried to expand into GT. They were stopped and Baby KOng wanted to close them down.

Cable channels in GT and East Coast were provided access via DirectTV (satellite) or terrestrial wireless but not actual cable.

Still no Broadcast Act.

Is great to see that my kind pick up one one scholarship and not all going to the types constantly in need of handouts.

So, you have another one to put down in the "coolie book of world records"

This young man is a product of an education system that many criticize yet he went to the US and did so well. Says alot about him, his parents and Guyana and those teachers in Guyana and R-Hill.

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
This young man is a product of an education system that many criticize yet he went to the US and did so well. Says alot about him, his parents and Guyana and those teachers in Guyana and R-Hill.

Success of few mean that Guyana has excellent education system?

Wherever Guyanese go they excel, including you? What's the reason"

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
Wherever Guyanese go they excel, including you? What's the reason"

Go to the lockups in Richmond Hill and you shall see those that hath not excelled.

Why do some takes pride to recognize one excellent achiever to cover for the majority of failures among Indo students?

quote:

Originally posted by Prince Juno:
Why do some takes pride to recognize one excellent achiever to cover for the majority of failures among Indo students?

Who conducted themselves in this manner?

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
Wherever Guyanese go they excel, including you? What's the reason"

Alex, not every one excell in the academic arena. But, I agree that all Guyanese aimed to excell, but many are failed based on circumstances.

Bhai, this happens everywhere, but we must recognize and celebrate the achievements of those who are succeeding.

wuts de graduation rate vs drop out rate at RHHS Alex?

The graduation rates are higher, according to Guyanese teachers there. But remember that dropouts affect all groups and not just Guyanese students.