Ford School junior Allison Tate (BA ‘27) has been selected as a 2025–2027 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar for Public Service—an honor bestowed by the Obama Foundation and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Tate is the sole recipient of the Voyager Scholarship from the University of Michigan.
The Obama Foundation Voyager program honors young leaders across the country who can bridge divides and help solve the most pressing societal challenges. The scholarship provides college students with up to $50,000 in financial aid, meaningful travel experiences to expand their horizons, and access to the Obama Foundation’s network of mentors and leaders.
"As a student from rural Midwestern America, I am deeply honored to be nationally recognized as a 2025–2027 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar for Public Service,” said Tate. “I hope my selection serves as a reminder to young students in rural communities that they, too, can achieve anything they aspire to.”
Tate plans to spend the remainder of her undergraduate career exploring post-conflict reconstruction policy, transitional justice, and peace conciliation. This summer, she worked with MOSAIC Training Services and Healing Centre to institutionalize South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. As a 2024 Donia Human Rights Center Fellow, Tate worked with the Social Change Initiative in Northern Ireland, examining a court case about the UK’s ban on prosecutions related to murders in North Ireland during the period of sectarian violence called “the Troubles.”
After graduating, Tate plans to serve in the Peace Corps’ Youth in Development sector and work on international human rights, sustainable development, and global governance policy.