The Voyager Scholarship–the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service is open: January 25, 2023 through March 22, 2023 3:00 pm Central Time
What is it? The Voyager Scholarship helps students pursuing careers in public service by providing access to travel and education. Benefits include:
- Financial aid up to $50,000
- Summer Voyage: With a budget of $10,000, students will design their own summer voyage between their junior and senior year of college. The experience will allow students to pursue internships or mentorship opportunities anywhere in the world that will broaden their horizons and prepare them for careers in public service. Students will also be able to stay in homes on Airbnb using credits provided by Airbnb.
- 10-year travel stipend: After graduation, Airbnb will provide the students with a $2,000 travel credit every year for 10 years, totaling $20,000.
- Fall Summit: students will be invited to a summit to help define and inspire their public service journey.
- A network of leaders: students will be invited to an ongoing speaker series, giving them access to a network of leaders. This network of leaders will expose them to new areas of service and innovations happen
Have questions? Read our FAQ sheet for more information.
Applicants to the Voyager Scholarship must:
- Plan to enroll full-time in their junior year of study at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States (including U.S. Territories) in Fall 2023. Eligible students are finishing their sophomore year in Spring 2023 and will be considered juniors based on total number of credits earned at their institution by Fall 2023. (Students transferring from a two-year to a four-year college as juniors for the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible.)
- Have four (4) semesters or six (6) quarters of full-time academic coursework remaining before graduating
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent
- Have demonstrated a commitment to public service
- Plan to pursue a career in public service upon graduation*
- Be a United States (U.S.) citizen, U.S. permanent resident (holder of a Permanent Resident Card), or an individual granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA)
*We have a broad definition of public service, which includes careers in government, non-profits or the private sector. A career in public service includes a range of occupations—from community organizing to social work and from entrepreneurship to the arts—all committed to solving our biggest challenges together.