WASHINGTON – Juniors Atuwatse Omeresan Yonwuren Okorodudu, Brielle Ward, and Eke Djibril have been named to the 2024-2026 cohort of Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars. 

The Voyager Scholarship Program, created by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, is a two-year leadership development and scholarship program. Through a transformational combination of barrier-reducing financial aid, immersive work-travel experience, and robust network of leaders and mentors, the Voyager Scholarship is designed to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders by equipping them with the tools and resources they need to launch their careers in public service.  

The tuition-based scholarship award supports a personalized summer voyage to explore new communities and gain valuable experience in a chosen field. The scholarship also provides a stipend and Airbnb travel credits to support the summer voyage, along with a 10-year travel stipend of annual Airbnb credits after graduation. 

Meet the Scholars 

Atuwatse Omeresan Yonwuren Okorodudu is a political science major and computer science minor from Highland, Calif. Okorodudu is a member of the Thurgood Marshall Leadership Institute, Vanguard North Star Fellow, and Goldman Sachs Immersion Program Fellow. During summer 2024, he completed an internship as a research assistant at the UChicago Data Science Institute, utilizing machine learning and prompt engineering for social impact projects. Okorodudu plans to use his summer travel to pursue his passion for creating equitable technology.  

He is eager to explore advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in machine learning and prompt engineering, to enhance large language models' ability to interpret, moderate, and respond to language more effectively, contributing to a safer and more secure digital environment. He also aims to examine how social media algorithms reinforce negative stereotypes and systemic racism and is committed to advocating for fairer minority media representation while working to create more equitable and inclusive systems. 

“The Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship allows me to travel and engage with projects across various contexts, redefining what public service means to me and its impact across different communities,” said Okorodudu. “Howard’s culture and community, filled with opportunity and networking, have fueled my curiosity and empowered me to pursue diverse pathways that have guided me toward success and achieving my goals." 

Eke Djibril, a health science major from Omaha, Nebr., is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc., NAACP Herbert Lehmann Scholar, and McDonald’s “Black and Positively Golden Scholarship” recipient. In pursuit of her passion for equitable health solutions, she spent her summer working in Ghanian villages to study Onchocerciasis, an understudied tropical infectious disease. Her career goals are bringing equitable and culturally sensitive health care to marginalized communities on a global scale while starting an international outreach program geared towards scientific discovery and developing community driven health care solutions. After graduation, she will pursue an M.D. and master’s in public health/global health. 

“This award will allow me to design a summer internship where I can immerse myself in other cultures and will offer a robust network of leaders and mentors who can inspire, empower, and connect me with the tools and resources needed to launch my career,” said Djibril. “Howard has equipped me with the confidence to take up space in any setting I am in and to pursue opportunities that society tells me are out of reach for a first-generation Muslim west African.” 

Brielle Ward is a supply chain management major from Chicago, Ill. She is a member of Howard University ELITE Models and recipient of the “Write Her Story” scholarship sponsored by the NAACP and Lancóme. Ward aims to become an entrepreneur and promote the urgent need to combat climate change. She hopes to pursue a nationwide campaign to encourage individuals and businesses to use renewable energy daily.  

“The Voyager Scholarship helps me accomplish my goals of being an entrepreneur by exposing me to different environments and cultures, increasing my experience and knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion while promoting renewable energy through public service to support climate change efforts,” said Ward. “Howard University has impacted me to this point with the university’s motto of ‘Truth and Service’ and community service efforts which inspired me to look into my own purpose for public service.