Middlebury Junior Wins Obama Foundation’s Voyager Scholarship

Middlebury junior Rani Basnet, an international and global studies major, has received the highly selective Obama-Chesky Scholarship, also known as the Voyager Scholarship. Basnet is one of 100 college and university students from the United States to win the award, which is now in its third year.

Created by former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, the scholarship is awarded to college juniors who plan to pursue a career in public service. The award provides up to $25,000 per year in financial aid and a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing for a self-designed international travel experience during the summer between junior and senior years.

After graduation, the scholars receive $2,000 in Airbnb travel credit annually for 10 years to help them continue to broaden their horizons and forge new connections as they launch their careers.

Basnet says she always knew she wanted to help people in some way. Two experiences in high school—Model UN and Student Farmworker Alliance—gave her a new perspective on what could be possible through organizing.

At Middlebury, she realized that all of her interests fell into the “public service” category. Her first-year seminar, Teaching the 1619 Project, with Professor Tara Affolter, along with courses in international education and literature, further catalyzed those interests.

“Through the scholarship, I plan to focus on advancing health outcomes for immigrant communities, aiming to build an inclusive system that addresses the social determinants of health affecting these populations,” said Basnet, whose family emigrated to New York City from Nepal when she was a child. “As a global migration and diaspora major, my course load is filled with courses that teach how global forces shape diaspora, migrations, and refugee experiences.”

Affolter, her first-year seminar advisor, took note of Basnet’s remarkable focus soon after she arrived at Middlebury.

“As early as my first advising meeting with Rani, I was struck by the clarity of her goals and how carefully she considered the needs of communities often overlooked within education, medicine, and other fields,” said Affolter, a professor of education studies. “Within our first-year seminar on the 1619 Project, Rani focused her research on healthcare disparities and the connections to structural racism.”

Basnet has been active in many programs on campus, including First@Midd, the Equity Fellow Project, Student Ambassador Admissions Program, and the Anderson Freeman Resource Center (AFC).

“The staff and faculty of the AFC were my greatest influence in applying for the Voyager Scholarship,” said Basnet. “I have seen firsthand how hard they work to build bridges across the different communities at Middlebury and provide a safe space for BIPOC, first-generation, and low-income students.”

After Middlebury Basnet envisions working in a field “in which I can aid immigrant and refugee communities through advocacy, humanitarian aid, or policy making.”

The newest cohort of Voyager scholars consists of 100 students from 35 states and territories, representing 60 colleges and universities across the United States.

For more information about fellowships at Middlebury, visit the Office of Fellowships website.