George Alcantar ’24 embodies the value of hard work and dedication in pursuit of his goals. Raised by a single father, he seizes every opportunity to prioritize his academic journey. His perseverance recently led to a significant achievement: a four-year tuition scholarship to Pepperdine University, generously supported by The Posse Foundation.
"After the final interview with the last 25 finalists, I was napping when I got a call asking to review my Posse application for Pepperdine,” said Alcantar. “I was initially worried, but I quickly joined a Zoom call where they asked if I'd like to plant a tree on campus, something I enjoy doing through community service. It was a surprise. They recorded all of it too and I didn't even know."
At the recent State of Our School address in January, George was one of three Seniors who shared their transformative journeys, acknowledging the pivotal role of Viewpoint's College Counseling program.
"Viewpoint has really given me the opportunity to follow a very structured and organized path,” he expressed. “This four-year Posse Foundation scholarship would not be possible without the guidance of my college counselors, and I am so grateful to Viewpoint for preparing me so well on my path to college.”
The Posse Foundation scholarship is a prestigious four-year full-tuition scholarship that emphasizes leadership qualities. It considers financial need while also valuing involvement in extracurricular activities both inside and outside the classroom. The selection process for the Posse scholarship is highly competitive, with only 10 students chosen out of 2,000 nominees.
"The selection process for the Posse scholarship is lengthy, starting with group and one-on-one interviews in late August,” explained Alcantar. “Finalists then go through a third interview, with only 10 out of 25 selected to receive the leadership scholarship for Pepperdine."
However, George views his academic pursuit not just as personal ambition, but as a means to honor his family and shape a brighter future for them.
"I'm a first generation student, so college is extremely important to me. My dad has also been a single parent since kindergarten, which is another factor that pushes me to keep going,” said Alcantar. “I can't give up. I need to do it for my family, for my dad. This is huge."
Alcantar will begin his journey at Pepperdine in the fall of 2024, majoring in Business Administration. Congratulations to George Alcantar ’24 on this incredible achievement!