By Willa White ’24, Contributing Writer
“Becoming a Voyager has offered me experiences beyond the classroom. The program has given me the opportunity to meet people who are changing the world.”
“Coffee in one hand, Confidence in the other” is the caption on the mug my mother gave me my first year of college. It sums up my life. When I applied for the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service, I knew I was a long shot—1,800 applicants, 100 recipients. I don’t attend an Ivy League institution. I’m not a National Merit Scholar. But, I’m confident. I’m resilient. I’m persistent.
I’m also a woman, an immigrant, a minority, and an adoptee. I was born with infantile esotropia during China’s one child policy. Disenfranchised by my birth country, I know what it means to live between two cultures. I was raised by white parents to be an American, but I’m visibly Asian in the age of COVID-19.
The negatives in my early background forced me to learn to advocate for myself. I want to work in government, so I can advocate for others. The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, created by former President Barack Obama, Mrs. Michelle Obama, and Brian Chesky, the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, exists to help shape the next generation of leaders.
I’m honored to be a member of the inaugural cohort. In addition to receiving a last dollar scholarship of up to $50,000, I was invited to participate in a Fall Summit, and received a $10,000 stipend to design and complete my own “Summer Voyage” with the goal of gaining exposure to new communities and experiences in my chosen field.
At last year’s Democracy Forum and Fall Summit held in New York City, I attended a session and heard from former President Barack Obama. I spoke to Nick Antipov, the co-founder of MAKEOUT, an anti-discrimination project empowering the LGBTQ community in Belarus, and co-founder of ICanHelp. I heard Tabata Amaral, a member of the Brazilian House of Representatives, speak on the importance of open and free elections. I interacted with Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, the Vice Chair for the Implementation of the UN Climate Convention. He is also the Executive Director of the School for Biocultural Leadership at Geoversity. His knowledge of climate transparency, carbon markets, and nature-based solutions may save the world.
My favorite moments were those spent with my fellow Voyagers: making Chinese dumplings with a chef at an Airbnb Experience; sharing a seat on the bus with Mae, a senior at Gonzaga; posing with new besties in front of the Forever 21 billboard in Times Square and sharing our plans to make the world a better place.
Because I hope to go into politics, I chose Washington, D.C., for my 2023 Summer Voyage. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a spontaneous person. I like policy and plans. Spending six weeks on my own in a new city forced me out of my comfort zone. I scheduled my days, made my own meals, set goals, and met them.
Spending the summer in D.C. made me realize how small the world is. I ran into Clemon White ’24, an Austin College classmate, at the Congressional Baseball Game. Because of a mutual friend, I got to meet Xochitl Hinojosa, the Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Department of Justice. Hinojosa offered great advice about how to jumpstart a career in politics. Through one of my fellow Voyagers, I was able to attend a lecture by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, one of my political heroes.
I learned something new every day. Volunteering with the nonprofit Voices for a Second Chance, I planted a garden. I toured law schools at George Washington and American Universities. I saw the pandas at the National Zoo, paintings at the National Portrait Gallery, and as much of the Smithsonian as time allowed.
Becoming a Voyager has offered me experiences beyond the classroom. The program has given me the opportunity to meet people who are changing the world. With coffee in one hand and confidence in the other, I hope to join them soon.
The Voyager Scholarship is a two-year program for students in their junior and senior years of college who are committed to pursuing careers that serve the public and their communities. After graduation from Austin College, Willa White will join the Obama Foundation’s global community and have access to Foundation resources and programming.
She is a Catherine Rosalie Fincher Kucera Scholarship recipient; a member of Phi Alpha Theta, Xi Epsilon, and the Austin College Chamber Orchestra. She has majored in political science and history with a focus on public policy.
Photos courtesy of Willa White ’24
White joined 99 other members of the inaugural cohort of the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service class. She had many experiences including volunteering with the nonprofit Voices for a Second Chance (VSC) to plant a garden.
While attending a summer internship lecture, White met the speaker, Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. White says she admires Klobuchar as a politician and as an informative and humorous speaker.