Inaugural Posse fellowship goes to Tulane student

More than 60 Posse scholars applied, but only five college sophomores from across the nation were selected as the inaugural group of Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows. In that number was Tulane University student Younes Boulares, who has demonstrated academic excellence and leadership skills early in his college career.

The new fellowship offers Boulares the chance to experience what it’s like to work on Capitol Hill and be mentored by his personal hero, Congressman John Lewis.

A native of Kenner, Louisiana, the Tulane junior is a neuroscience and international relations double major in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering.

“It seemed like a great opportunity to make connections and a perfect outlet for me to explore politics.”

— Younes Boulares, 2017 Jeff Ubben Posse Fellow

Since 1989, the Posse Foundation has awarded extraordinary public high school students, many of whom may have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes, with full-tuition scholarships. The student leaders are then placed in supportive teams, or posses, of 10 students at universities partnered with the foundation.

The Posse Foundation launched the Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows Program in honor of ValueAct Capital CEO Jeff Ubben, who served as the foundation’s board chair from 2007 to 2016. Ubben helped to bring the Posse program to 47 colleges and universities throughout his decade of service.

The newly developed program provides selected scholars with a stipend and an internship working closely with industry leaders within several fields, like law and government.

“It seemed like a great opportunity to make connections and a perfect outlet for me to explore politics,” said Boulares. “Being able to work for one of the fathers of the civil rights movement is quite the honor for me,” said Boulares, who starts his internship with Congressman Lewis this week.

Boulares hopes to gain an in-depth understanding of politics, as he works toward building a future career in Washington.

Like this article? Keep reading: Anything is possible with a posse behind you