University of Notre Dame juniors Faiza Filali and Angela Olvera have been named to the third cohort of Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars. They are Notre Dame’s second and third Voyager Scholars after senior Raleigh Kuipers, who recently returned from Latin America as a member of the second cohort.

Administered by the Obama Foundation with support from a $100 million gift from Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky, the Voyager Scholarship offers rising juniors who qualify for need-based financial aid the opportunity to pursue careers in public service through access to travel and education.

This year’s cohort consists of 100 students from 35 states and territories, representing 60 colleges and universities across the United States.

Selected for their strong academic record and commitment to public service, Voyager scholars receive as much as $50,000 in “last dollar” financial aid, plus a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience.

Filali, who is from New Orleans, Louisiana, is a political science and peace studies major with minors in Korean and the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. She is a Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar and Glynn Family Honors Scholar. She speaks Arabic, Darija, French and Korean with varying degrees of proficiency.

Away from campus, Filali has served as an intern with the Borgen Project, a nonprofit dedicated to ending global poverty. She has also interned with the National Committee on North Korea, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, through the College of Arts and Letters’ Washington Program. She will study abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul in the spring.

As a Voyager Scholar, Filali plans to travel between South Korea and Japan to research local opinions on nuclear proliferation in support of her senior thesis, which will focus on the political and societal effects of living in direct proximity to a nuclear state, such as North Korea.

She plans to attend law school after graduation, then work with policymakers through established international organizations such as the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs to bring an end to “nuclear anxiety.”

“I am so absolutely beyond grateful to have been selected for the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service,” Filali said. “The benefits of this award — including the scholarship, summer experience and being in a cohort of intelligent, talented and motivated students — makes my commitment to nuclear deterrence and nonproliferation all the more realistic and meaningful. I am beyond excited to engage with the cohort and push myself even further towards my goal of building nuclear peace.”

Angela Olvera is a political science major and Latino studies and constitutional studies minor from McAllen, Texas. She is a Latino Studies Scholar and a cabinet member for national political engagement and gender relations for Notre Dame Student Government. She is a past research assistant with the Institute for Latino Studies.

Away from campus, Olvera has served as an intern in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. She has also interned for the National Immigrant Justice Center through the Institute for Latino Studies’ Cross Cultural Leadership Program, and for U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas through the Washington Program. She will study abroad through Notre Dame London in the spring.

As a Voyager Scholar, she plans to research citizenship processes while interning for the International Rescue Committee in Colombia, a nonprofit devoted to helping people whose lives are shattered by disaster or conflict.

She plans to attend law school after graduation, with the ultimate goal of helping to develop and implement immigration and other policy — and advise the attorney general and deputy attorney general on such policy — from within the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.

"I am incredibly grateful to receive the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship and to be welcomed into a community truly dedicated to public service,” Olvera said. “I was born and raised in a border community in South Texas. I hope to make my community proud and work towards real change and empowerment of akin communities, domestic and globally.”

In applying for the Voyager Scholarship, Filali and Olvera worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), which promotes the intellectual development of Notre Dame undergraduates through scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.

Elise Rudt-Moorthy is the associate director of national fellowships at CUSE.

“Working with Faiza and Angela was an absolute pleasure, and I am incredibly impressed with their accomplishments and drive as they are only just beginning junior year,” Rudt-Moorthy said. “They are both truly deserving of this award and will do amazing things on the global stage.”

For more on this and other scholarship opportunities visit cuse.nd.edu.