Two Spelman College Students Awarded Prestigious 2026-2028 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship

Spelman Students Selected Among 100 Emerging Leaders for the Prestigious Two-Year Public Service Scholarship

Spelman College students Arion Malone, C '2028, and Madison Moore, C' 2028, have been selected for the highly completive Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship. Malone and Moore were two of the 100 students named to the fifth cohort of the program.

Every year, this scholarship reminds Michelle, Brian, and me that there is no shortage of young people ready to take on hard problems,” said former President Barack Obama in the press release announcement. “This year’s Voyagers come from small towns and big cities, from islands in the Pacific and neighborhoods here on the South Side. They are working on housing, health care, clean water, and public safety, and most of them started that work long before anyone offered to pay for it. We’re proud to help them keep going.”

The Voyager Scholarship, created by Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, is a scholarship dedicated to shaping students committed to showing their leadership through public service. The two-year program allows students with diverse backgrounds and areas of studies to grow their skills on a global level through financial aid and immersive work-travel experiences. According to the scholarship website, both Obama and Chesky believe that exposure to new places and experiences generates understanding, empathy, and cooperation which equips the next generation to create meaningful change.

Moore, originally from Greenville, Mississippi, shared that she is deeply passionate about understanding the long-lasting effects of environmental injustice on underserved communities in the United States southern regions.

“Being born and raised in rural Mississippi, I was always surrounded by food deserts and saw the effects it had on my community's well-being” said Moore, a literature, media and writing major on the pre-law track. “Through the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for public service, I want to expand my knowledge of food deserts and food insecurity by researching how the trans-Atlantic slave trade has affected environmental public policy we see today.”

Malone said her passion for equitable access to mental health resources fuels her purpose.

“I am dedicated to advancing equitable access to mental health resources for athletes and performers,” said Malone, a Washington D.C. native majoring in psychology and minoring in dance performance and choreography. “I plan to travel to Switzerland and the United Kingdom to study global models of sports psychology and community-based mental health practices, gaining insight into how different cultures support athlete resilience and holistic wellbeing.”

The 2026-2028 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars cohort marks the 4th consecutive year that Spelman students have received the prestigious award. Click here to learn more about the Voyager Scholarship.