WHITTIER – Santa Fe High School senior Kyla Moore has a passion for the arts, communicating with her friends and family through song, dance and sign language. With an eye toward earning a degree in public relations, Moore will be able to fulfill her dreams at Pepperdine University after earning a four-year, full-ride scholarship from the Posse Foundation.

Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation identifies students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, but who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Moore has earned straight A’s every semester at Santa Fe and carries a 4.39 GPA.

“I am so proud to receive this scholarship,” Moore said. “I am inspired by my mother, who was in grad school when I was born and was determined to stay in school and receive her degree, even though she was raising me by herself because my father was away at college.”

Moore keeps a rigorous schedule of Advanced Placement courses and is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Santa Fe Principal’s Honor Court, Link Crew mentorship program, and has been a member of Santa Fe’s Dance Team and choir for four years. She is also a community volunteer for the youth cheerleading program, SFS 49ers, coaching girls ages 7 to 9 in cheerleading techniques and traveling with the squad for competitions and games.

“Kyla is a tremendous student and a campus leader who is greatly admired by Santa Fe students and staff for her compassion, energy and work ethic,” said Santa Fe Principal Craig Campbell, who nominated Moore for the scholarship. “To receive a Posse scholarship, you have to be focused, ambitious and prepared to make a difference in the world. I wish Kyla the best of luck in her future.”

The Posse Foundation is a national nonprofit that recruits promising students from diverse backgrounds to prepare them for higher education and careers in lucrative professions, supporting these students with specialized initiatives that ensure they achieve at a high level and complete their schooling.

To qualify for a Posse scholarship, Moore needed to complete three interviews and, after being named a finalist for Pepperdine, convened with other competitors for a three-hour group interview with university representatives who evaluated her qualifications and issued their decision the same day.

“Even before I knew that Pepperdine was one of the Posse Foundation’s partner schools, I knew that it was the only school that I wanted to attend,” Moore said. “When they asked me to list my top 10 preferred colleges, Pepperdine was the only school on my list.”

Moore likes the social aspect of public relations, is well acquainted with social media platforms and can see herself as a fashion industry rep, helping brand new products and developing positive exposure.

Moore, who learned American Sign Language (ASL) when she was 4 years old, wants to start a club at Pepperdine and organize ASL events for the school community.

Though Moore is looking toward a career behind-the-scenes, she hopes to continue with dance and choir at Pepperdine because she loves seeing the audience’s reaction.

“It is so rewarding to know that you are inspiring people with your performance,” Moore said. “As a Posse Scholar, I hope to continue inspiring my peers, my siblings and others through my perseverance and dedication to pursuing higher education.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

021318_WUHSD_MOORE: Santa Fe High School senior Kyla Moore has earned a four-year, full-ride Posse Foundation scholarship to Pepperdine University, where she will study public relations. The Posse Foundation identifies students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, but who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes