Category: Graduate School Funding

Voyager Scholarship Application Deadline March 22, 2023

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Summer Program

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.

Samvid Scholarship for Graduate Degree Funding

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Uncategorized

Samvid Scholarship Overview  

Samvid Scholars is a merit-based graduate scholarship and leadership program for changemakers. Samvid Scholars was established in 2021 by Samvid Ventures to invest in the graduate education of future leaders who are committed to effecting positive change in society. 

The Samvid Scholars program supports up to $50,000 per year for two years of graduate study. In addition to funding for their graduate program, each Scholar will receive two years of leadership development programming to support them to continue to fulfill their extraordinary potential. For example, our 2022 cohort has participated in an annual summer conference, regional dinner on campus, peer discussion groups, and seminars led by the Aspen Institute. 

An eligible candidate will:   

  • Pursue a full-time graduate program of 2 years or longer at a university in the United States, in one of the following eligible programs: MD, MBA, JD, MPP/MPA, MPH, or MS/MA in the social sciences or STEM
  • Be a first-year graduate student for the 2023-2024 academic year   
  • Have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5   
  • Be a U.S. citizen or DACA recipient  

For more details of the program, please visit our website. There, you can also view recording of a recent Samvid Scholars info session, which provides an overview of the curriculum and relevant information for advisors supporting prospective applicants. Application opens Feb.13 and closes April 9, 2023.

June 2022 Notes for Watson and Fulbright Applicants

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, STEM, Teaching English Abroad, Uncategorized

If you’re thinking about applying for a Fulbright grant or Watson nomination in the fall, you should start working on these applications. Many of you have already talked with me about your ideas or completed a preliminary application this spring–which is a great way to get started! And yes, you can absolutely still apply for these in the fall even if you did not submit a preliminary application! Below are a few notes for those of you just considering these now or already working on the applications:

Dean Gates is happy to talk with you, answer questions and review essay drafts. You can email questions to fellowships@middlebury.edu and/or make appointments at go.middlebury.edu/appt . Dean Gates has limited appointment hours during the summer–June and July appointment hours are posted! If you don’t find available appointments that work for you, you can email some good days/times. Zoom and in-person meetings are possible. Email works too–that’s a great way to get feedback on essays or ask quick questions. Please note, Dean Gates will be out of the office during the middle of July, so drafts submitted at in that period will not be reviewed until the week of July 25.

Make sure you know the internal deadlines and application processes! See https://go.middlebury.edu/fulbright and https://go.middlebury.edu/watson for details. We often get questions that can be answered by reviewing the information on these pages, so please review carefully and then send your questions. You will also find information about internal deadlines and application instructions on these pages. Note: the fellowships office must register Watson applicants in the online Watson system. As of today, everyone who has notified us of their interest has been registered! If you can’t find your link, check your junk/clutter/spam filters. For technical or password problems with the Watson online system, you must contact the Watson office for help.

If you haven’t sent in a preliminary application for Watson or Fulbright, you can still apply! Alumni, you can apply for Fulbright through Middlebury; you just have to follow our internal process and deadlines. At this point in the summer, I recommend you start working on the applications themselves (not the preliminary application form) and email or talk with Dean Gates about your ideas or questions. The online applications for both are open and you can begin working on those.

For more Fulbright info, check out the webinars offered by the Fulbright team–see the schedule here: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/information-sessions. There are some great sessions coming up, including answering the short answer questions on the Fulbright application and office hours focused on the Study/Research and ETA grants with program staff. For Fulbright applicants, the main dates to focus on now are the August 15 “Intent to Apply” deadline, which guarantees we can provide at least one full round of feedback on your materials and the Fulbright internal deadline this year (Thursday, Sept. 8 at noon).

The Watson internal deadline this year will be Wed, Sept. 7 at noon. And yes, both of these internal deadlines are before classes begin, so please plan accordingly!

Virtual Public Service Weekend Conference–Applications Due June 6

Lisa Gates / / Education, Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Uncategorized

Apply now to attend PPIA and NASPAA’s virtual summer conference BUILDING AN EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD: A VIRTUAL CONFERENCE AND POLICY HACK-A-THON FOR FUTURE PUBLIC INTEREST LEADERS.

What’s the focus?

Public Interest Technology (PIT) is a rapidly growing and essentially important field where technology and public policy overlap. Carnegie Mellon University has been a leader in this space for over 50 years, promoting the use of technology to advance the public interest.

Our 2022 Public Service Weekend virtual conference will highlight the rising prominence of PIT and bring together a diverse group of practitioners from across the field—including policymakers, technologists, designers, and leaders—to develop innovative solutions to pressing issues in public policy and equity. This interactive weekend will introduce undergraduate students from a variety of backgrounds to careers and opportunities for graduate-level education in PIT.

Who should apply?

  • Rising college juniors and seniors interested in public policy, public interest technology, policy analytics, and related fields, who are strongly considering graduate education and/or careers in these fields.
  • Students can apply from ANY undergraduate major, including political science, government, the liberal arts, fine arts, and STEM fields. Successful applicants will share a passion for solving complex problems and working together with others from a diversity of fields, backgrounds and perspectives.
  • Preference will be given to students representing underserved communities from across the United States and/or working towards equity issues.

Check out https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/events/public-service-weekend-2022 for more information, dates, and application instructions. Applications due June 6!

Kate Reinmuth ’17 Named Knight-Hennessy Scholar

Lisa Gates / / Fellowships, Graduate School Funding, Uncategorized

Congratulations to Kate Reinmuth ’17 who was recently named one of 70 Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University! Kate will pursue a joint PhD program in Economics and JD at Stanford Law School. Way to go, Kate! Read more about Kate and the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at

https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/news/2022/05/kate-reinmuth-17-named-knight-hennessy-scholar