The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program gives unrestricted $500,000 awards to a select group of talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their pursuits. Here are four of this year’s winners:
Tapping Every Student’s Potential
For almost 18 years, Dr. Deborah Bial has been making college accessible to inner-city students by working with colleges to create alternative ways to identify talented students who may not meet the traditional standards for admission — high SAT scores and class rank — but have other qualities essential for success: motivation and leadership.
The founder and president of the collegeaccess organization, The Posse Foundation Inc., Bial was awarded the MacArthur grant for her continuous dedication to making a college education become an attainable dream.
“Winning the MacArthur fellowship is not only wonderful for me but for Posse,” says Bial. “MacArthur identifies people that have potential for the future and that’s exactly what Posse is about, too.”
With the help of Posse staff who sort through the nominations made by teachers, counselors and community organizations, Bial selects promising students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
