By — September 23, 2025
Isabella Castro, a University of Florida third-year student was recently awarded the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Castro, an international studies and dual language major with specializations in French and Russian and a minor in Latin American studies, was one of 100 students honored nationwide. Castro is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida.
Created by Michelle and Barack Obama with Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, the Voyager Scholarship is a two-year leadership development program. The award provides students up to $50,000 in financial aid to complete their undergraduate studies, a significant stipend for an immersive travel experience and access to a robust network of leaders and mentors. The program additionally allows for continued work-travel funding over a 10-year period.
Initiated with a $100 million donation from Chesky to the Obama Foundation, the scholarship is now in its fourth year and focuses on students with a passion for public service. This is the second year in a row that a UF student has been awarded the honor, following Eduardo Linardi who was in the 2024-2026 cohort.
As a first generation Colombian American, Castro said growing up she never expected opportunities like becoming a Voyager scholarship recipient would be possible. It’s all about one person opening the door, she said, and showing that anyone from any background can have these opportunities.
Castro gave a special thanks to Linardi for his early advice before she began her application, and to Onursal Erol, Ph.D. at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, the only person who reviewed her application materials prior to submission. Castro further said she found a home on campus within the center as a current Global Intern Fellow, Haskell Scholars recipient, Bob Graham Center Fellow and a previous Graham Civic Scholar and Freshman Leadership Council Member.
“I’m very grateful, very thankful,” Castro said. “It still does not feel real. I think a lot of the times when you look at these scholarships, they seem out of reach. So I think it’s important to encourage the next generation of Voyagers, and give them someone to turn to.”
She said receiving her acceptance email was a surreal experience.
Castro plans to use the scholarship to help advance her eventual goal of becoming a foreign service officer. She said she hopes to explore how diplomacy in Europe can better include the voices of immigrants and refugees and aims to bridge the gap between top-down migration policy and the lived experiences of displaced people. Castro aspires to take a people-first approach, focusing on the humanity aspect of making policy.
“It’s often difficult for immigrants to be truly prioritized in a society, and frequently people see them as problems to solve,” she said. “I think that’s very dangerous. So I would like to gain first-hand experience talking to and interacting with immigrants and refugees and then participate in a policy summit to advocate for their best interests.”
Castro has additionally interned with the Center for European Studies at UF and, this past summer, was awarded a Critical Language Scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State, which supported an eight-week intensive Russian language program in Daugavpils, Latvia.
She said her greatest piece of advice to students looking into scholarship opportunities is to never be afraid to ask for help and to be willing to put yourself out there.
The Bob Graham Center for Public Service, founded by the late Senator Bob Graham, prepares UF students with the knowledge and skills for effective civic engagement, public leadership and public service in local and international communities.
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