Isabella Stratta (MSB, SFS ’25) was awarded the prestigious Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for public service Sept. 12.
The Voyager Scholarship was created by Barack and Michelle Obama in conjunction with Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, in 2022. The scholarship awards a select cohort of college juniors annually with $50,000 financial aid grants, and a stipend for a “Summer Voyage,” in which you receive free Airbnb summer housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience, among other benefits.
Stratta said she was not expecting to be selected as one of the Voyager scholars.
“I was so shocked. I never expected I would get it. I honestly almost didn’t apply,” Stratta told The Hoya. “I’ve been talking to other Voyager scholars, and it’s been great to just be part of a cohort as well.”
The Obama Foundation selects 100 students from various U.S. universities annually for the Voyager Scholarship, aiming to boost young leaders’ abilities to solve the United States’ problems and bridge divides.
Stratta said the scholarship aligns with her academic and career goals.
“The program wants to support students both financially and also give professional development opportunities to students who are interested in public service,” Stratta said. “I’ve always been interested in public service work, so I just thought it would be a great scholarship to apply for.”
Stratta, who is currently taking a gap semester in Taipei, will be able to attend a cohort-wide summit in Chicago this November. She will also benefit from a continuous speaker series, connecting her to other Obama Foundation and Obama White House program alumni as well as leaders in public service.
Elisabeth Koch (SFS ’24), one of Stratta’s friends, said Stratta was a deserving winner for her dedication and personality.
“Isabella is the most deserving person for this scholarship! She is so kind and selfless and the hardest working person I know!” Koch wrote to The Hoya.
Shreysi Mittal (MSB ’23), another of Stratta’s friends, said Stratta fits in with the scholarship’s title and mission, as someone always searching to engage with new experiences.
“Isabella is literally the personification of what it means to be a ‘voyager,’” Mittal wrote to The Hoya. “She not only loves to explore, but in her day to day life takes the opportunity to get to understand cultures at a deep level, people and their intricacies, and finds genuine joy in immersing herself into other perspectives.”
“Even getting coffee with her for thirty minutes will show you how inquisitive she is and how much she simply loves to learn about the world around her,” Mittal wrote. “I can’t think of anyone more fit for this than her!”
Stratta is looking forward to the next opportunities the scholarship provides, including the Summer Voyage component.
“I want to focus it on renewable energy, and I don’t quite know what that’s gonna shake out like, but I’m looking at potentially doing internships,” Stratta said.
Stratta hopes to undertake an internship related to renewable energy, possibly in the Department of Energy or State. Stratta said that she is drawn to the field of renewable energy because of the large role it will play in the future.
“It seems like an area that is of critical importance to our future. As a society and in our economy, it’s taking a bigger place,” Stratta said. “Thinking through how the private sector can be leveraged and can support the green energy transition, that combination of topics and the different people that are involved in different institutions, the mix really interests me.”
