Taylor Laube-Alvarez Awarded Voyager Scholarship!

Congratulations to Taylor Laube-Alvarez on being named a recipient of the 2024 Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship.

The Voyager Scholarship was created by the Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama alongside Airbnb co-founder & CEO Brian Chesky to help shape leaders. The Obamas and Brian believe that exposure to new places and experiences generates understanding, empathy, and cooperation, equipping the next generation to create meaningful change.

Voyagers receive up to $50,000 in financial aid over two years to assist in their pursuit of a public service career. They also participate in a Summer Voyage, for which they receive a stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience. Students are invited to an annual summit to inspire their public service journey and meet other voyagers from across the country and US territories. They also take part in a leadership development program that includes gaining access to a network of leaders across the Obama Foundation.

The 2024-26 cohort consists of 100 students from 44 states and territories, representing 88 colleges and universities across the United States. Taylor is joined by Andy Siranni, a global studies major, in representing the University of Minnesota in this cohort.

Meet Voyager Taylor Laube-Alvarez

Taylor is a political science and global studies student from Chaska, Minnesota. After graduating, she hopes to work for an international NGO or federal agency that works within the human rights foreign policy sphere. She knows that wherever she goes, she will undoubtedly work within the human rights area, particularly advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.

Service was ingrained into Taylor as a core value from a young age through her family. Her younger brother has autism, and, as Taylor took her role as a big sister very seriously, she "saw from an early age how the world is not built for people with different abilities, and oftentimes society tries to push them to the fringes." She quickly learned how to stand up for herself and others, including both bullies and well-meaning adults.

Taylor's greatest role model in this, however, is her mom. "She has always been my brother's greatest advocate, and has never accepted the standards of 'this is how it is' or 'this is how it has to be done.' Her willingness to forge new paths so that my brother has access to the rights, spaces, and resources he deserves has been inspirational to me, and is a fundamental part of why I'm so dedicated to public service as a career path."

The resources provided by the Voyager Scholarship will help Taylor learn how to make effective change in the international relations area; she plans to travel internationally and broaden her cultural horizons during the Summer Voyage. Taylor has previously taken several political science classes in the international relations area, including POL 4885W: International Conflict & Security with Professor Ron Krebs and POL 4810: International Law Regulating Armed Conflict with Professor Melanie O'Brien, which have proved useful to her current undergraduate honors thesis research. Taylor's thesis is focused on the rights of people with cognitive disabilities in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refugee camps, and whether it complies with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

For her project, Taylor will expand upon this research and focus on the rights of people with cognitive disabilities in refugee camps and immigration detention centers to ensure these groups have the support and resources required to meet their needs.

"I'm very excited about every element of the Voyager Program," said Taylor. "I'm beyond grateful to the Obama's and Airbnb's Brian Chesky for making it possible."