Voyager Scholarship for Public Service

We need young people from every corner of this country who share a curiosity about the world and the conviction to want to make positive change within it—just like the scholarship's founders. Students should have a passion for helping others, experience serving in or building community, and an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.

Get to know our second cohort of young leaders who want to bridge divides and help solve our biggest challenges together.

Meet the New Cohort of Voyagers

An increasingly globalized world needs young leaders who can bridge divides and help solve our biggest challenges together.

The Voyager Scholarship was created by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb to help shape such leaders. Even though they come from different backgrounds, both the President and Brian believe that exposure to new places and experiences generates understanding, empathy, and cooperation which equips the next generation to create meaningful change.

The Voyager Scholarship is open to students entering their junior year of college at an accredited four-year college or university in the US, who have demonstrated a financial need, and who are US citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients.

This scholarship gives college students financial aid to alleviate the burden of college debt, meaningful travel experiences to expand their horizons, and a network of mentors and leaders to support them, including:

• Up to $50,000 in financial aid Students will receive up to $25,000 per year in “last dollar” financial aid for their junior and senior years of college. This financial aid should alleviate the burden of college debt so that students can afford to pursue a career in public service.

• Summer Voyage Students will receive a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience between their junior and senior year of college. The students will design their own Summer Voyage to gain exposure to new communities and experience in a chosen field.

• 10-year travel stipend After graduation, Airbnb will provide the students with a $2,000 Airbnb travel credit every year for 10 years, totaling $20,000. This will allow students to continue to broaden their horizons and forge new connections throughout their public service careers.

• Fall Summit Students will be invited each fall to an annual summit to help define and inspire their public service journey. 

• Network of leaders Throughout the program, 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 happening in their fields. After graduation, they will join the Obama Foundation’s global community, providing them with Foundation resources and programming.

The Application for the Voyager Scholarship for Public Service is now closed.

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