Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service
The Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service grants scholarships to rising juniors who are interested in public service and in need of financial aid scholarships. The scholarship helps to alleviate college debt and gives students the opportunity to travel both during and after college. Scholarship winners receive up to $25,000 per year in financial aid, $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing for summer work-travel, and $2,000 every year in travel credits for 10 years.
The Academic Fellowships Team is here to support you through all steps of the application process. If you are interested in connecting with us to learn more, please contact us at fellowship@brandeis.edu.
Eligibility
- Entering junior year
- Demonstrate financial need
- US citizens, US permanent resident, or DACA recipients
- Minimum of 3.0 GPA
- Have demonstrated a commitment to public service
- Plan to pursue a career in public service upon graduation
Application Timeline
- National Deadline: March 2024
Award:
- Up to $25,000 per year in financial aid for their junior and senior year
- A $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue summer work-travel between junior and senior year
- A $2,000 travel credit for 10 years
- Invitation to annual fall summits to meet President Obama and Airbnb CEO, Brian Chesky
- Become part of the Obama Foundation network
Expand All
- Contact Academic Fellowships to set up a meeting to discuss the application process, strategy, and how to best complete the application’s series of written and video essays.
- Unusual Circumstances (500 characters): Please describe how and when any unusual family or personal circumstances have affected your achievement in school, your work experience, or your participation in school and community activities. (Space is limited; be concise.)
- Your Public Service Path (250 characters): If chosen as a Voyager Scholarship recipient, tell us about the issue or field you’re interested in exploring during the program.
- Video: Provide a YouTube URL to an unlisted video on the topic: What gives you hope for the future? How does public service fit into your vision for that future? How does connection and understanding play a role in this vision? How will this program help? The video should be two minutes long and should contain nothing except for you talking. No screenshots or post-production needed. The strength is in your words and ideas, not your video production skills.
- Summer Voyage (500 characters): If chosen as a Voyager Scholarship recipient, you’ll have an opportunity to design an immersive travel and work experience during the summer between your junior and senior year of college. This Summer Voyage is rooted in exploring new communities and building connections. It could focus on an apprenticeship opportunity, internship, or a less structured program that helps advance your commitment to public service. This opportunity is yours to create and implement — we’ll give you the tools to do it. If you are chosen as a Voyager Scholarship recipient, what would you like to focus on during your Summer Voyage? What are you hoping to learn? How can travel and exposure to new experiences help with these goals?
- Curiosity and Connection (500 characters): When was the last time your perspective changed? Who or what changed your perspective? How did this shape the type of impact you want to make in the future?
- Values and Resilience (500 characters): What values motivate you? As you look back on challenges, what did you learn and how did those values guide you?
- Impact and Approach (1000 characters): Tell us about an experience in your life when you created positive change within a community. Describe the experience: What problem did you address? What community did you serve? What was the impact? How did this experience shape your view of public service?
- Your Path and Vision (1000 characters): What’s a problem that you’d like to solve? How would the world be different if it were solved? How would you use creativity, cooperation, and a shared vision to solve this? How are you already having an impact?
- Taking Action on your Vision (1000 characters): Based on the vision you shared in your previous response, what would you like to accomplish one year after graduation? What would success look like five years after graduation? How will you collaborate with others to get this done?
The Obama-Voyager Scholarship gives preference to applicants who demonstrate the following qualities:
- Share a curiosity of the world and the conviction to want to make positive change within it
- Passion for helping others
- Experience service in or building community
- Expansive view of what’s possible through public service
- Your Academic Fellowships Team: Meredith and Elizabeth are here to help you through each step of the process, from exploring the different application components, to choosing your recommendation letter writers, to providing feedback on your essays. Email fellowships@brandeis.edu to schedule a meeting with us!
- Obama-Voyager FAQs: The Obama Foundation has compiled a list of frequently asked questions and their answers. This is a great place to further explore the eligibility requirements, application advice, and more.