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University of Central Florida
09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 08:39
First UCF Student Awarded Voyager Scholarship
UCF junior Andrea Hernandez Gomez was one of 100 college students selected nationwide to receive the 2024 Voyager Scholarship - making her the first UCF student to receive the award.
Inspired by the Voyager Scholarship's impact on young people, Gomez says she wanted to apply to make a more significant difference in the world, especially in healthcare for those who may not have access to it or the resources to do so.
"The Voyager scholarship supports and equips young leaders to view challenges on a global scale and get these experiences where you are able to further learn and explore the world," says Gomez, who is double majoring in biochemistry and biomedical sciences.
Created in 2022 by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, the Voyager Scholarship, is designed to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders and equip them with the tools and resources they need to launch their careers in public service.
Scholarship recipients are awarded up to $50,000 in financial aid, a $10,000 stipend, and free Airbnb housing for their Summer Voyage - a self-designed international travel experience during the summer between junior and senior years. After graduation, the scholars receive $2,000 in Airbnb travel credit annually for 10 years to help them continue to broaden their horizons and forge new connections as they continue their work in public service.
That opportunity to give back over the long term is important to Gomez. Before she moved to the United States in 2017, she grew up in Venezuela and, through her own experiences, saw the need for more accessible healthcare, she says.
"I had a firsthand understanding of systemic barriers that other world populations encounter when trying to access healthcare," Gomez says.
She says this sparked her passion for healthcare, and after moving to the U.S., her passion for the sciences grew through new opportunities and the people she met.
Along with seeing the crisis in her home country, Gomez shared that last year, she spent the summer in Puerto Rico helping the residents devastated by Hurricane Maria and learned about the need for more culturally competent healthcare resources.
"We worked a lot with elderly populations … and the majority of them had chronic conditions," Gomez says. "I heard from some individuals about their decision to move back from the States because they wanted culturally competent physicians who could understand and serve them better."
Gomez has found inspiration to help others from unexpected people along her journey, she says. They are people she's encountered on a daily basis and who have transformed her outlook on the world.
"Just seeing how cheerful my bus drivers for UCF are makes a difference," Gomez says. "I have to wake up early to catch the bus, but I realized that my bus drivers must wake up even earlier to be there and still have the energy and cheerfulness to greet me daily with a 'good morning.' Those small gifts to me have helped me to be empathetic toward others and opened up my perspective to see the contributions that other people make in various ways throughout your day and your life."
Gomez says she wants immigrants to have better access to healthcare and education because of their positive impact on the workforce, economy, and country.
"Access to healthcare can prevent treatable conditions that could then become a burden in the entire system," Gomez says. "These changes have the power to change many lives."
Gomez says being a Voyager has opened her life to a world of opportunities.
"[Being a Voyager,] means the opportunity to embrace change and explore diverse perspectives and enrich understanding of global challenges and solutions," Gomez says. "Being a Voyager is about using these experiences to foster innovation, to drive change, and advocate for what you really believe and the change you want to see."
Gomez says she wants other students who are pursuing change through public service to know that there is always an opportunity for them.
"It often only just takes one yes from a mentor, from a scholarship committee or just a program coordinator to just open up doors and opportunities from there on that branch up into even greater opportunities," she says.
Students interested in applying for the Voyager Scholarship or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at [email protected].