The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service was founded by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb to support undergraduate students who serve their communities, have a passion for helping others, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service. Students receive up to $25,000 per year in financial aid their junior and senior years, as well as stipends. Allison Tate has been named a Voyager this year!
Allison is a junior in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy with a focus on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peace Conciliation Policy. Her other pursuits include serving as a Diplomacy Lab Researcher in the U.S. Department of State and working as a Donia Human Rights Center Fellow in Northern Ireland. She also spent time in South Africa as a Policy Localization and Institutional Accountability Intern with the MOSAIC Training Services & Healing Center and a Public Policy and Research Intern with the End GBVF Collective. While in Northern Ireland, she co-authored and published a joint research paper with the Social Change Initiative titled “Human Rights and Equality in Northern Ireland: Article 2 of the Windsor Framework Reaches the Courts: What’s at Stake?”
On campus, Allison promoted nonpartisan voter engagement as a UMICH Votes Fellow and worked as a TELLING IT Intern at the Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention Center, designing and leading trauma-informed expressed arts workshops for incarcerated youth. Allison also serves as a founding co-president of the Gerald R. Ford Leadership Forum where she oversees recruitment and development, coordinates events, and publishes monthly articles.
Receiving the Voyager Scholarship has been a goal of Allison’s since she had first learned about it at the University of Michigan. She was drawn to its mission of empowering young leaders to explore the world through service and global engagement, and she applied because the opportunity perfectly aligns with her commitment to advancing post-conflict policy and human rights through hands-on research and mentorship. The Summer Voyage will allow her to study peace conciliation in post-conflict societies and deepen her understanding of transitional justice while providing connections with diplomats and human rights practitioners.
When asked about the personal impact of this award she states, “As a student from rural Midwestern America, I am deeply honored to be nationally recognized as a Voyager. I hope my selection serves as a reminder to young students in rural communities that they, too, can achieve anything they aspire to. Over the next two years, I look forward to exploring post-conflict reconstruction policy, transitional justice, and peace conciliation as I prepare for a career in international public service. I am profoundly grateful to The Obama Foundation, President Obama, and Mr. Chesky for this extraordinary honor and their belief in my potential. I cannot wait to see what the future holds—Go Blue!"
Allison plans to serve in the Youth in Development sector of the Peace Corps following graduation. After completing her service, she intends to pursue a Juris Doctorate with the goal of working with the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, or a global NGO to advance post-conflict human rights, governance, and sustainable development. She aims to help strengthen institutions and justice systems in order to foster reconciliation in vulnerable regions around the world.
She would like to thank the Ford School, the International Institute, the Program in International and Comparative Studies, the Donia Human Rights Center, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation for their continued support, guidance, and encouragement in her academic and professional development.
