Salve Regina’s Isabelle Cole is one of 100 nationwide to win Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship
Isabelle Cole ’24 of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, a social work major and global studies minor at Salve Regina, is one of only 100 students nationwide selected to win a Voyager Scholarship – The Obama Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Recipients, who apply during their sophomore years, were announced publicly today.
The multi-year scholarship program, founded by former President Barack Obama together with the Obama family and Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, intends to shape the next generation of public service leaders. Winners receive up to $50,000 in “last dollar” financial aid for their junior and senior years of college, a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience.
Voyager Scholarship winners also receive a 10-year annual travel stipend and invitations to a Fall Summit to meet with President Obama and Chesky, along with a broader network of leaders to discuss empathy and understanding in leadership, among other topics.
Cole, a Pell Honors student at Salve Regina who spent the spring semester of her sophomore year in Morocco studying migration and Arabic, said winning the award is an honor that she never anticipated.
“The Obama Voyager Scholarship is giving me the tools to turn my vision for a better future into a reality,” Cole said. “This public service program will give me the opportunity to work and learn from community leaders anywhere in the world to help tackle social injustice. Each Obama Voyager develops a six-plus-week summer voyage. I am yearning to return to where I studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco.”
Cole hopes to work alongside resilient migrant mothers that she had the privilege of connecting with during her abroad experience. Her ultimate goal is to work with social workers at a non-governmental organization in Morocco to create an after school program/summer program for migrant children.
While a student at Chelmsford High School, Cole founded “13 Reasons to Fly,” a non-profit organization focused on normalizing the conversation around mental illness. She dedicated a year of service in 2019-2020 to City Year, the nonprofit organization in Washington D.C. that promotes educational equity in urban public schools.
She has been active on Salve Regina’s campus as an orientation leader, a peer career advisor, and as a member of the Student Government Association and the National Mercy Honors Society.
For students interested in applying for Voyager Scholarships, please visit their website. For students seeking other fellowship opportunities, visit the Center for Global Education and Fellowships, explore their website, or email Erin FitzGerald, the director of the center, at erin.fitzgerald@salve.edu.
