Boston.com / News / Nation / An LA 'posse'; finds its new turf in Iowa: "Launched 15 years ago, the program, based in New York, has helped to snag more than $85 million worth of college scholarships and sent almost 1,000 high school seniors through the posse pipeline."

The posses cultivate potential young leaders who might not otherwise make it to college, or who might not be able to tough things out once they arrive.

So far, 90 percent of posse students have finished college within five years, and most finish in four, the Posse Foundation reported.

That contrasts with the 53 percent of all students nationwide who are awarded bachelor's degrees within six years, according to the most recent federal statistics. The figures are lowest for minorities: only 40 percent of Hispanics finish within six years, while just 37 percent of blacks make it.