{"id":13941,"date":"2025-09-26T05:10:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=13941"},"modified":"2025-09-29T15:22:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:22:20","slug":"everlyn-balvoa-granda-27-receives-prestigious-obama-chesky-scholarship-for-public-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2025\/09\/26\/everlyn-balvoa-granda-27-receives-prestigious-obama-chesky-scholarship-for-public-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Everlyn Balvoa Granda \u201927 receives prestigious Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everlyn Balvoa Granda \u201927 has been named a 2025\u201327 recipient of the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service from The Obama Foundation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Voyager Scholarship was created by former President and First Lady Obama and Brian Chesky, CEO and co-founder of Airbnb, to help shape young leaders. Through a transformational combination of barrier-reducing financial aid, an immersive work-travel experience, and a robust network of leaders and mentors, the scholarship is designed to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders and equip them with the tools and resources they need to launch careers in public service. The 2025\u201327 cohort includes 100 students from 34 states and territories and 71 colleges and universities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Balvoa Granda is the first Augsburg student to receive this prestigious award.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a first-generation student and a proud leader from an Ecuadorian household, this opportunity represents a powerful next step,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to broaden my impact, drive meaningful changes in my community, empower those around me, and continue advancing justice and equity across diverse communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At Augsburg, Balvoa Granda is majoring in political science with concentrations in pre-law and public policy. She is an Interfaith Scholar and the current president of the Latin American students organization; previously, she chaired the student government elections committee and served as a student mentor for the university\u2019s Emerging Leaders program. While studying abroad in Northern Ireland in the spring, she interned at Children in Crossfire, an organization that works with displaced children around the globe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Balvoa Granda has been involved in community and civic engagement since she was in high school in St. Paul, where she has served as a commissioner on the city\u2019s Business Review Council, as a member of the St. Paul Youth Commission, as an intern in the City Attorney\u2019s Office with a focus on immigration and refugee services, and as the volunteer outreach and logistics coordinator for an arts organization in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverlyn has amassed a very impressive resume of public service,\u201d said Jacqueline deVries, professor of history and director of major grants and fellowships in Augsburg\u2019s Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity. \u201cShe has an unwavering commitment to furthering the common good and is eager to learn, grow, and take advantage of every possible opportunity to further her education. I am so impressed with her spirit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The two-year Voyager Scholarship program is open to students entering their junior year of college who demonstrate a passion for helping others, experience serving in or building community, and an expansive view of what\u2019s possible through public service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Program benefits include:<\/span><\/p>\n