Five Penn students were recently named recipients of the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service, marking the most awardees from one institution.
The scholarship, sponsored by the Obama Foundation and Airbnb chief executive officer Brian Chesky, brings undergraduate juniors into a two-year leadership development program. In the five years of the program’s existence, Penn has never produced more than two Voyager Scholars in a single cohort — until now.
“We’re really pleased that the University of Pennsylvania has five folks in this year’s cohort,” Obama Foundation Executive Vice President of Programs Tina Tchen said in an interview. “There’s a lot of talent there at Penn, and we’re really proud to have them all as part of the new Voyager class.”
Penn juniors Emily Bhatnagar, Zoya Hasan, Amy Liao, Soledad Mayobre Lopez, and Avi Talsania were among 100 students selected this year, according to a Sept. 22 announcement.
Scholars receive up to $50,000 in financial aid to help “alleviate the burden of college debt,” a network of supportive mentors, and access to travel opportunities that can help them expand “their connections to new communities.” Students are given an additional $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing for a “summer work-travel experience.”
“What we’re trying to do is create the opportunity for them to grow in knowledge and develop it,” Tchen said, adding that “the long-term impact we hope to have with the scholarship is adding their talents to the service and change-making that can happen around the country.”
For College of Liberal and Professional Studies junior Emily Bhatnagar, being a Voyager scholar allows her to fully pursue her nonprofit organization — For Love & Buttercup — after graduation.
The scholarship, she explained, is allowing her to pursue her “absolute wildest dreams without having to constantly worry, ‘oh my gosh, how do I afford my tuition?’”
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Bhatnagar shared that her nonprofit aims to “bring comfort to children undergoing cancer and other serious illnesses with the magic of books.”
“I can’t imagine doing anything in the world besides that now,” she added. “But at first, it was just a small way to find solace in my own family’s battle and extend that kindness outwards to other kids who might be battling similar things as my dad.”
Bhatnagar started For Love & Buttercup at 17, working out of her family’s shop. To date, she said, the nonprofit has donated over 30,000 books.
College junior Zoya Hasan founded the Hikmah Foundation, which pairs refugee children with high school tutors.
She began teaching Kashmiri students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic over Zoom when she was 14 years old.
According to Hasan, that experience inspired her to create a foundation to ensure that children “are able to get the resources that they need as best as possible, but mainly give them a friend that can help them navigate a pretty tumultuous time in their life.”
College junior Soledad Mayobre Lopez wrote in a statement that she hopes the program will help her “develop a clearer direction” to pursue her interests in medicine and public service.
“Being a Voyager Scholar is an affirmation that the work I care about has value and room to grow,” she added. “I also see it as a responsibility to approach service with humility and consistency.”
Amy Liao, a College junior and staffer at The Daily Pennsylvanian, aims to promote access to arts education in public schools. She previously worked with Pennsylvania Youth Vote, using films and storytelling to encourage youth voter participation.
Avi Talsania is a junior in the Life Sciences & Management dual-degree program, which is hosted between the College and Wharton, and hopes to address disparities in healthcare access. He has worked with the Leonard Davis Institute and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to examine how residential mobility influences access to care for preterm infants and their families.
Last year, Penn seniors Ellen Choi and Gobhanu Sasankar Korisepati were named recipients of the 2025-2027 scholarship.
