Two Students Receive National Recognition

Voyager Scholarship

Scout McKibben-Baier ’27, an English major with a minor in civic engagement, has become the first student from Wesleyan University to receive the Voyager Scholarship. The program was created by Barack and Michelle Obama in partnership with Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, to support undergraduate students committed to careers in public service.

The two-year scholarship supports participants through their junior and senior years, emphasizing values-based leadership, cross-community collaboration, and sustained civic engagement. Scholars also take part in an immersive work-travel experience and gain access to a national network of mentors and leaders aimed at reducing barriers to public service careers.

This summer, McKibben-Baier plans to use the scholarship’s work-travel component to gain hands-on experience in areas such as immigrants’ rights, environmentalism, and educational access. “I know I want to cast a wide net and work with a range of nonprofit organizations that are focused on different facets of public service,” she said. “I’m hoping to get groundwork experience to become more well-rounded and to hone my skills and learn about myself.”

During her time at Wesleyan, McKibben-Baier has worked with Afghan Female Student Outreach, a nonprofit organization that provides online classes for Afghan women whose education has been disrupted by Taliban rule. She has also been involved with Cultural Connections, a Middletown-based organization that offers resources to immigrant families in Connecticut, as well as WesTutors, where she teaches Spanish and helps address learning gaps for local students.

McKibben-Baier is looking to partner with organizations abroad, including the Aga Khan Development Network in Lisbon, which focuses on increasing access to early childhood education, and the HOME Project in Athens, which provides shelter and support to individuals fleeing war and persecution.

“Ultimately, what I’m focused on is increasing access to women’s and girls’ education internationally, ideally through a non-governmental organization,” McKibben-Baier said. “I think it’s important to have a range of experiences in different public service fields to understand the intersectionality between different societal issues.”

American Chemical Society Award

Abigail Oduro ’27 was selected as one of 15 students nationwide for recognition by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Leadership Award. The honor acknowledges Oduro’s continued contributions to the Wesleyan University chapter of ACS, which she joined early in her first year on campus and is leading this year as co-president.

“I joined ACS because I knew I wanted to study something chemistry-based,” said Oduro, who is a double major in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in chemistry. “They promoted opportunities to network and make connections with people in the chemistry field but also had study jams and ways to become more involved in the chemistry community.”

At the time, the chapter had recently been revived after decades of dormancy. Oduro celebrates the many ways she has seen the organization grow and thrive during her time at Wesleyan, especially how the organization engages with the community: “There was a Girl Scouts event my first year at Sacred Heart University—we got to make lava lamps for them and show them the chemistry behind it, like why oil and water don’t mix,” Oduro said. “It was a small thing, but it made me really happy to teach people about something so simple, but also very cool.”

This past October, the group also hosted a Mole Day celebration in honor of Avogadro’s number, a number used to calculate the mass of an object, livestreaming activities with ACS chapters across the country. Oduro is hopeful that receiving the ACS Student Leadership award will help bring a spotlight to the Wesleyan chapter and inspire increased membership and involvement. Earlier this month she traveled to Atlanta to participate in this year’s ACS Leadership Institute, where she will develop her management and leadership skills alongside both domestic and international students. The experience will be fully funded by ACS as part of the Student Leadership Award.

“ACS is really helpful in becoming a leader and finding opportunities for people to delve into a career of their interest,” she said.