Chelmsford High Grad Wins Obama Chesky Public Service Scholarship

NEWPORT, RI — Chelmsford High School graduate Isabelle Cole, a student at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island, has been selected as one of only 100 recipients of the Voyager Scholarship —The Obama Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

The multi-year scholarship program was founded by former President Barack Obama together with the Obama family and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.

Cole, a social work major and global studies minor who is scheduled to graduate from Salve Regina in 2024, will receive up to $50,000 in "last dollar" financial aid for her junior and senior years of college, a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience.

Additionally, Voyager Scholarship winners receive a 10-year annual travel stipend and invitations to a fall summit to meet with Obama, Chesky and other prominent figures for discussions about leadership.

"The Obama Voyager Scholarship is giving me the tools to turn my vision for a better future into a reality," Cole said. "This public service program will give me the opportunity to work and learn from community leaders anywhere in the world to help tackle social injustice."

Cole spent the spring semester of her sophomore year studying migration and Arabic in Morocco and said she hopes to return to the North African country thanks to the Voyager Scholarship funds.

In Morocco, Cole said she would like to work alongside migrant mothers and create after-school programs for migrant children.

Cole has shown a commitment to helping others for years.

At Chelmsford High, she founded 13 Reasons to Fly, a nonprofit organization that focused on normalizing the conversation around mental illness.

In 2019-20, Cole dedicated a year of service to City Year, the nonprofit that promotes educational equity in urban public schools.

At Salve Regina, Cole has served as an orientation leader, peer career advisor and a member of the Student Government Association and the National Mercy Honors Society.