Rani Basnet, a Middlebury student majoring in international and global studies, has been awarded the prestigious Obama-Chesky Scholarship (Voyager Scholarship). Basnet is one of 100 college and university students from the United States who received the prize, which is now in its third year.
The program, established by former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, is awarded to college juniors planning to pursue a career in public service. The prize offers up to $25,000 in annual financial aid, a $10,000 stipend, and free Airbnb housing for a self-designed international travel experience over the summer between junior and senior year.
After graduation, the scholars will get $2,000 in Airbnb travel credit per year for 10 years to widen their horizons and make new contacts as they launch their careers.
Basnet says she has always aspired to serve others in some way. Her high school experiences with Model UN and Student Farmworker Alliance broadened her understanding of the power of organizing.
At Middlebury, she recognized that all of her interests fit into the “public service” category. Her first-year seminar, Teaching the 1619 Project, with Professor Tara Affolter, combined with courses in international education and literature, fueled her 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.