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Washington and Lee University junior Alina de Zoysa has been awarded the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. She is is a sociology major with a double minor in education and poverty and human capability studies. A native of Jackson, New Jersey, she graduated from Jackson Memorial High School.
The Voyager Scholarship is a two-year program that gives juniors who are interested in a career in public service financial support and the opportunity to expand their horizons through meaningful travel and access to a supportive network of mentors and leaders. Each scholarship recipient will receive funding and housing the summer before their senior year, which will be designed by the student to gain exposure to different communities and experience in their chosen field. Students will also attend an ongoing speaker series where they can meet public service leaders and are invited to an annual summit to help define and inspire their public service journey.
De Zoysa intends to use the Voyager Scholarship to further her understanding of disability rights and accessibility in the public education system, which will help shape her future career as an educator. “I plan to work within a public school system, helping students transform their passions and talents into having lasting impacts within their communities,” she said. “Specifically, I hope to provide students with the services, accommodations and support they deserve.”
De Zoysa hopes to travel to a country with a robust disability education system, such as the Netherlands, and observe the different ways students with disabilities can learn and prosper. For de Zoysa, understanding how various students may excel in different environments and how these different classroom settings might function is critical to pursuing a career in education.
De Zoysa is an active volunteer within the W&L community. She is the community service chair for the Student Association for Black Unity, a teaching assistant for the Office of Community-Based Learning, and a career fellow in the Office of Career and Professional Development, as well as being involved in the Campus Kitchen and the Nabor Service League.
“The Voyager Scholarship was created by former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, to help shape leaders in public service. The 2023-2025 cohort of 100 Voyagers represents 33 states and territories and 74 colleges and universities.
