Dashiell Sparks ’26 was one of ten scholars in Los Angeles to receive the National Posse Foundation Scholarship for Middlebury College out of over 17,000 nominated students from Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. The National Posse Foundation Scholarship was established in 2014 to provide full-tuition, merit-based leadership scholarships to high school seniors to attend partner colleges and universities in the United States.
To be considered for the National Posse Foundation Scholarship, the student must first be nominated by their high school. Then, students need to participate in the Dynamic Assessment Process (DAP) for assessing leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Sparks said the National Posse Foundation Scholarship application process took multiple steps to become a finalist.
“[The application process] starts with creating a profile like the Common App about extracurricular activities and writing a few short answer questions about your personality and what makes you stand out,” Sparks said. “There was a group interview, then a one-on-one traditional interview and lastly, another group interview with the last 20 finalists and the presidents and teachers of the college.”
Upper School Dean Nia Kilgore said she nominates students through the deans and the school community.
“Every year in the winter or spring, I approach my dean colleagues as they are meeting with juniors and their families to think about students who might be great candidates,” Kilgore said. “Whenever we get names from the school community, as the school official nominator, I go forward putting their name into the portal and they become nominees. Truly, having known Dashiell since eighth grade and seeing his growth as a young man, leader and student, he fit all the criteria that Posse looked for.”
Sparks said his active listening during group interviews helped him stand out.
“One quality that made me stand out during the group interview was asking a lot of questions when others were speaking,” Sparks said. “I also made sure my other group members had space to talk as well. Rather than trying to dominate the conversation too much, I tried to show that I am an active listener.”
Kilgore said she saw Spark’s potential for the scholarship.
“I had the foresight to picture him in these interviews,” Kilgore said. “I knew he would do well. I knew he would connect with his peers and impress the Posse administrators in the group interviews. It was a no-brainer when I heard his name to nominate him and represent the school well.”
Sparks said he will continue his interest in languages, environmental racism and film at Middlebury College.
“I am most excited about the languages and the study abroad programs,” Sparks said. “I used to take two languages, Latin and French, and I’m excited to continue French and learn Spanish. Also, I am interested in environmental racism, and I’m planning on minoring in film, so I’m excited to see how Vermont’s rural environment and farms come into play in real life.”
Kilgore said the National Posse Foundation Scholarship is very prestigious, and the school is proud to have a scholar this year.
“[Being a National Posse Foundation Scholar] is uncommon because it is a highly competitive national program,” Kilgore said. “In my nine years here, we only had five nominees during my first several years. But in Dashiel’s class, 10 students were nominated by the deans and community members. Having one scholar per year is very impressive and successful, and it shows that Posse and colleges believe in our kids.”
