UK junior earns Voyager Scholarship to support public service work

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2024) — University of Kentucky junior Carlee O’Neal, of West Liberty, Kentucky, has been selected for an Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

Also called the Voyager Scholarship, this funding provides up to $50,000 in financial aid, including a “Summer Voyage” work-travel experience between recipients’ junior and senior years, with a $10,000 stipend and free housing. After graduation, recipients will receive a $2,000 annual Airbnb travel credit for 10 years, totaling $20,000.

O’Neal will attend a summit in December to meet fellow Voyager Scholarship recipients and network with public service professionals.

The scholarship supports students “who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.”

O’Neal, the daughter of Danny and Bobbi O’Neal, is majoring in chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences and community and leadership development in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and is a student in Lewis Honors College. She was a Chellgren Fellow in 2023. O’Neal expects to graduate in May 2026. She says she wants to become a high school chemistry teacher and is committed to making sure study of that scientific discipline is accessible to all students, especially those in underrepresented populations.

That desire was born out of her own educational experience in West Liberty.

“I grew up in a small Appalachian town. There were many educational opportunities that were not offered in my district,” O’Neal said. “The most influential discrepancy that has made me want to teach chemistry was that my high school did not have a chemistry teacher.”

During O’Neal’s senior year in high school, a dedicated teacher, Lew Acampora, offered to teach her the AP Chemistry curriculum remotely. Acampora is a senior content director for science with AdvanceKentucky, an organization promoting equitable and successful access to Advanced Placement coursework for all Kentucky students.

“It was Lew’s zeal and commitment to expanding access to education that sparked my passion to do the same,” O’Neal said.

Her experience working with Acampora led O’Neal to apply for an internship with AdvanceKentucky.

“Not only did one of my now coworkers teach me AP Chemistry, but my high school was also a part of AdvanceKentucky’s College Readiness Program. Through this partnership, I received incentives to take and pass AP classes and exams as well as additional preparation for the exams,” O’Neal said. “I knew how AdvanceKentucky positively impacted students because I was positively impacted by my participation.

“Students should not be limited academically because of factors that they cannot control — location, race, gender identity, income, et cetera,” she added. “I hope to help curious students like me get the education they deserve.”

Following completion of her undergraduate degree, O’Neal said she plans to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching and eventually complete a graduate degree in educational policy later in her career.

Barack and Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, created the Voyager Scholarship to help shape future leaders. Even though they come from different backgrounds, both the former president and Chesky believe that exposure to unfamiliar places and experiences generate understanding, empathy and cooperation which equips the next generation to create meaningful change.

The two-year scholarship program is open to students entering their junior year of college at an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S., who have demonstrated a financial need, and who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or DACA recipients.

The 2024-26 cohort consists of 100 students from 44 states and territories, representing 88 colleges and universities across the United States.

About the UK Office of Nationally Competitive Awards

The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards assists current undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni in applying for external fellowships and scholarships funded by sources (such as government agencies or non-government foundations) outside the university. These major awards honor exceptional students across the nation. Interested students are encouraged to begin work with the office’s director, Pat Whitlow, well in advance of the scholarship deadline.