Since it's Christmas Day, maybe we should describe Neo Morake 's bond with Grinnell College like this:

She is a gift to the school. The school is a gift to her.

Though Morake and Iowa seem to have little in common, they are really a perfect match.

Born in Johannesburg when apartheid still had a chokehold on South Africa, Morake came to Iowa almost by accident four years ago.

Living in Washington, D.C., with her parents, she was looking for just the right college, preferably on a coast. Grinnell, in the middle of the heartland, was looking for just the right group of high school seniors.

They found each other through the Posse Foundation, an unusual New York-based scholarship program for city kids who show unusual leadership skills, significant academic potential and a strong desire to succeed - kids who otherwise might be overlooked in the traditional college selection process.

"I'd received mail from the school," Morake , now 21, says, "but didn't take it seriously because it was in Iowa."

She smiles because it sounds silly now, but it's the undeniable reality.

Then her guidance counselor nominated her for the Posse program, she applied and survived several layers of fierce competition.

"The more I found out about Grinnell during the interview process," she says, "the more I loved it. I basically fell in love with the school before I ever came to visit. When I did come to visit, I had the best experience. I would have still applied even without the Posse scholarship."

The Posse program kicked into gear almost 10 years ago when five public high school students from New York City went off to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Deborah Bial, the president and founder, was talking to a promising inner-city student who had dropped out of college.

The student said he left because his "posse" wasn't around to provide moral support.

So Bial created the Posse Foundation, which sends kids away to college with built-in support groups.

Grinnell is one of about two dozen schools - and the only one in Iowa - that participate.

These are kids who probably wouldn't consider Grinnell under normal circumstances. Or hadn't heard of the little liberal arts college with the big reputation.

Grinnell reportedly lays out a million dollars a year in tuition, which is more than $35,000 per student. Some Posse members qualify for additional aid.

If the scholarship is a gift, it's hard-earned. The eight-month selection process is rigorous. Grinnell representatives travel to Washington. The applicants come to Grinnell.

It's like an NFL scouting combine for scholars.

Morake was one of 600 students nominated by D.C.-area schools for 12 Posse scholarships available at Grinnell or Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Four hundred participated in the early training and evaluation workshops.

Two hundred were invited to interview and 40 became finalists.

Houston Dougharty, Grinnell's vice president for student affairs, is a believer.

"It's a brand-new world for the Posse members," he says. "So unlike home in so many ways. They're often big fish in their high school environment. They come to a place where everyone is an achiever. It takes them a while to get their legs, but, boy, do they. They turn out to be some of the most engaged, interesting and committed students."

Like Morake , who became the first Posse member to be elected president of the Grinnell student body.

When she isn't going to class and studying, she's so busy performing presidential acts and deeds she often sleeps on a sofa in the student government office.

In the spring, she will find the time to graduate with a degree in political science. Neo (pronounced NAY-oh) is still thinking about going to medical school, but who knows? Anything's possible.

"When I arrived at Grinnell," Dougharty says, " Neo struck me as a kind of beacon of optimism and warmth, particularly in that bitter cold winter. She walks into a room and lights up the place. She brings a sense of welcome and camaraderie that's sometimes difficult to achieve in a place as competitive as Grinnell. She helps folks connect with each other.

"That's her leadership gift. She had so much potential when she came to Grinnell. And she's grown so much since she got here. I don't think there's much she can't do. It's just a matter of following her passion."

If Morake makes it look easy, don't get the wrong impression. It was a tough transition, even though she isn't a first-generation college student like most of the Posse members.

Her mother is a nurse. She would be attending a good college even without the full-tuition scholarship.

But every Posse member faces the culture shock and even resistance from some students who feel the program is an affirmative action giveaway that deprives more deserving students.

In other words, the Posse kids don't belong there. The founder Bial says they most certainly do.

The Posse graduation rate, she points out, is far higher than the national average.

Dougharty works closely with Morake on student government issues and sometimes worries she's spreading herself too thin.

It hasn't been easy, Posse program or not.

"Coming to rural Iowa was a bit of an adjustment," Morake says, "Without my Posse, I don't know if I would have lasted. Having a core group of friends makes it so much easier."

She still has her Posse pals and she's proud of them. They were the first group from D.C. - seven in all - and most have stuck it out. Some are thriving.

For instance, Molly McCardle recently published a collection of short stories, all taking place in the same D.C. apartment complex.

For Morake , that core group has grown into a campuswide network of friends and acquaintances. One of her housemates is from Des Moines.

"I'd never been involved in student government," she says, "but now I'm taking a leadership role I never thought I'd take, which kind of goes along with the Posse mission."

She played volleyball her first two years. She can't wait to take beginning violin when she returns from Christmas break. Maybe it won't be minus 10 then, speaking of gifts.

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