Undergrads Win Voyager Scholarships
Four Northwestern University undergraduates, including the School of Education and Social Policy's Addison Feldman and Ally Peek, have been selected for the 2024 Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship.
Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky, launched the $100 million scholarship fund in 2022 to support college juniors in public service careers by reducing their debt burden.
Voyagers receive up to $50,000 in financial aid over two years, meet others during a fall summit in November, and attend an ongoing speaker series to connect with a large network of global leaders, including Obama and Chesky. They also participate in a Summer Voyage, where they receive a stipend and free Airbnb housing for a work-travel summer experience in their chosen field.
The 2024-2026 cohort consists of 100 students from 44 states and territories, representing 88 colleges and universities across the United States. In addition to Feldman and Peek, Jason Chen and Jun Park of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences were named Voyagers.
Feldman and Peek plan to pursue projects related to refugee services and healthcare, respectively.
Meet the Voyager: Addison Feldman
Addison Feldman is a social policy and international studies student who hails from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
“I really appreciate that so many SESP classes are rooted in collaboration and application and that I have been able to learn so much with Chicago as my classroom!” she said.
She transferred into SESP after her first year after a summer that inspired her to pursue social policy: She volunteered with Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America, a Chicago nonprofit dedicated to supporting refugee children who previously were denied access to education.
“Teaching these kind, resilient children how to read so that they can succeed in their new environment was a life changing experience, and I return during the school year as much as I can,” she said.
Because of this experience, Feldman has gained a passion for identifying the best strategies to support refugees and their communities. With the help of the Voyager Scholarship, she can pursue this goal with the help and support of bright young leaders and experts in the field.
“After meeting the 99 other members of my cohort for the first time over Zoom earlier this week, I am in awe of their accomplishments and can’t wait to get to know and collaborate with them,” she said. “My scholarship cohort, as well as the larger Obama Foundation, will be an invaluable network as we support one another while working towards our public service goals.”
She is looking forward particularly to meeting her fellow Voyagers, President Obama and Brian Chesky at the Fall Summit in November.
“[We will] talk about how to bridge divides and the important roles of empathy and understanding in leadership and public service,” she said.
Feldman also hopes to use her Summer Voyage to explore how other countries aid refugees.
“I plan to investigate and learn from refugee support and resettlement programs in other countries firsthand,” she said. “I hope to identify programs that might be implemented successfully on a large scale in host communities across the U.S. and the world.”
Meet the Voyager: Ally Peek
Ally Peek is studying social policy and neuroscience. After her own experience being diagnosed and treated for cancer at 12 years old, Peek became passionate about healthcare access and differences in quality of care in different locations. Combining her story and her academic interests, her project will explore how other countries approach mental health care and how these strategies could help bridge care gaps.
Peek chose Northwestern in part because she wanted a larger school. “But I also liked that SESP has small class sizes, and you could get a personalized teaching style," she said. "You can really get to know your professors.”
She learned about the Voyager Scholarship through a group of friends who were sending it around. The application process was challenging, she said, and when she learned she was a finalist, she kept it to herself because she didn’t “want to jinx it.”
“I was in shock when I was notified, because I didn't really think I would ever be picked,” she said. “It was also a huge relief, because obviously going to college is a lot of money; it's a big financial burden, and having that weight lifted off my shoulders and my family's shoulders was indescribable. It was just amazing.”
Peek hopes to use her Summer Voyage to travel to Northern Europe and study the healthcare systems in place there. “My dream would be to work somewhere like [The World Health Organization] so I can work across borders,” she said.
Not only is Peek looking forward to traveling abroad on her Summer Voyage, she also is excited to take advantage of all the other opportunities granted by the scholarship.
“It’s a big scholarship financially, but it also offers a lot of opportunities that I wouldn't be able to get otherwise,” she said. “The connections I get to make with the other Voyagers and professionals through the scholarship will be really valuable.”
Read about all four Northwestern Voyagers in Northwestern Now.