Two Dwight Hall students–Ethan Chiu ’26 and August Rios ’26–have been named 2024-26 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars, joining a cohort of 100 college juniors across the country.
Funded by the Obama Foundation, the Voyager Scholarship offers wide-ranging benefits to its awardees, including up to $50,000 in financial aid for their final two years of college, a $10,000 stipend for summer work between their third and fourth year of college, $20,000 of Airbnb travel credit over the course of the decade after their graduation, and the support of a large network of mentors and public service leaders. Students are selected for the scholarship based on their commitment to public service as college students and in their future career path.
Dwight Hall has been a crucial part of August and Ethan’s public service journeys. As a first-year student, August became involved with the Hall through the student-led member group Environmental Education Collaborative, where he visited local elementary schools to teach students about the environment and environmental justice. “This was an incredibly sweet program that introduced me to service in New Haven,” he explained.
Since then, August has served in several leadership roles within Dwight Hall programs and students organizations. As Director of Community Partnerships and a group leader for FOCUS on New Haven, the Camp Yale orientation program administered by Dwight Hall, he guided incoming students during their first days on campus and introduced them to the service landscape at Yale and in New Haven.
August has also served as a Dwight Hall Summer Fellow and Dwight Hall Urban Fellow, working as an intern at the New Haven Fair Rent Commission. Most recently, August co-founded the Dwight Hall member group Yale Student Association for Small Claims Assistance, where he and his team work “to address the legal information gap in Connecticut’s Small Claims Court.”
Similarly, Ethan dedicated a significant portion of his time at Yale to teaching local students. As part of Synapse, a Dwight Hall member group, he helped organize the Resonance Conference, which brought more than 50 K-12 students to Yale to learn about science topics alongside Yale students and professors. “The Resonance Conference was instrumental in developing my conference-organizing, teaching, and mentoring skills,” Ethan explained.
Both students emphasized how meaningful Dwight Hall was in supporting their public service endeavors. “To put it simply, Dwight Hall made getting involved easy,” August said. “As an incoming freshman, navigating the complexity of Yale extracurricular applications, interviews, and networking was difficult. I found service organizations to be refreshingly open and welcoming. They were eager for volunteers, eliminating many entry barriers. Each experience not only energized me but also highlighted the urgent need for more people to engage in public service.”
Ethan, too, had many people to thank. “I am beyond thankful for my family and friends, along with the mentors, professors, and service members who consistently push me spiritually, morally, intellectually, and physically,” he added.
With support from Dwight Hall and the Obama-Chesky Scholarship, both students are eager to continue finding ways to make a positive difference in the world. “Through the Voyager Scholarship, I am looking forward to accessing mentorship and resources to expand my understanding of sustainable, equitable solutions to housing insecurity,” August said. “With experience in eviction litigation, fair housing, and landlord-tenant mediation, I am eager to explore new strategies, such as increasing supply, addressing corporate price fixing, and incentivizing homeownership.”
Ethan, meanwhile, is looking forward to creating a strong network among the other scholars and mentors. “I really appreciate the community-building and travel aspect of the Voyager Scholarship, and am looking forward to expanding the scope of research I have sought to conduct,” he explained.
Upon graduation, Ethan hopes to become a U.S. naval officer and work on issues of national security and other foreign policy areas. August, meanwhile, hopes to continue his work in housing justice. “Whether this path leads to a career in policy, nonprofits, or legal aid, I am eager to follow where the work takes me,” he concluded.
August and Ethan’s recognition as Voyager Scholars demonstrates the impact of the Grow pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model, which supports students’ development of the intellectual, moral, creative, and civic capacities essential to becoming leaders in public service.
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