LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A student from Arkansas who is attending Tuskegee University has now been selected as a 2025-2027 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship recipient.
Carrington Thompson is a junior Plant and Soil Science major and is also the first Voyager recipient from the Natural State.
His uncle and a family friend, who are both agriculture professionals, sparked what later became Thompson’s passion for agriculture as both a career and a way of life.
“Watching them both inspired me,” Thompson described.
While in high school, Thompson became a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). When he arrived at Tuskegee as a freshman, he discovered there was no chapter at the school, so he started one.
The chapter is now operating in a partnership with the Macon County Career Tech FFA.
The Voyager Scholarship was created in 2022 by Barack and Michelle Obama, and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, to help shape young leaders and their futures.
The scholarship gives students financial aid up to $50,000 to help alleviate the burden of college debt and provides access to a network of mentors and leaders to support them throughout their college experience.
The scholarship program also underwrites a customized work-travel experience with $10,000 and Airbnb credits known as the “Summer Voyage”, which students create for themselves in alignment with the foundation’s belief that exposure to new places and experiences helps generate understanding, cooperation, and empathy.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore my dreams and aspirations around public service,” said Thompson. “My hope is to visit suburban, rural, and international places, to see the different paths people are choosing to sustain and adjust to whatever environment they may be in, for instance, drought. We can take experiences from other places and apply them here to help others.
Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture, Environment, and Nutrition Sciences has been like a home away from home for Carrington.
The self-described “country boy from Arkansas” now encourages others to believe in their big ideas and expand their view of what is possible.
“Carrington’s achievement represents the very essence of the Tuskegee legacy,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO of Tuskegee University. “From a small town in Arkansas, to Tuskegee and on to solving the world’s biggest problems. We are thrilled that a Golden Tiger will join other Voyagers in this unique opportunity to learn, grow, and make the world a better place.”
The importance of family is what ultimately sealed the deal for Thompson when it came time to continue his agriculture journey in college.
“Since I am going to be eight hours from home, I want to be in a family environment with people that care about me,” he said. “I had always heard of Tuskegee but hadn’t had a chance to do a deep dive into it. Once I did, I realized this is the place I needed to be to be successful.
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