The Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University in the City of New York is celebrating its fifth year of hosting rising leaders who are working with their communities to create transformational change and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. In the program’s first five years, Columbia World Projects (CWP) has hosted 58 rising leaders from 47 countries who have demonstrated a commitment to finding solutions to intractable challenges in their communities and countries.
Scholars spend an academic year at Columbia to enhance their skills, gain new knowledge and tools, receive mentorship, share their experiences and expertise with the Columbia community, and join a lifelong international network of the world’s current and future leaders. Their work spans issues that define the state of health, equality and well-being in our world: strengthening governance, climate change and sustainability, increasing access to high-quality healthcare, and promoting women’s rights and ending gender-based violence.
From the moment I set foot in New York and met with the other scholars, I felt that my life was about to change forever. I remember during the first day of orientation, we were told about the concept of the Alma Mater: The “nourishing mother” that the university would be for all of us and how, from now on, we would forever be part of the Columbia family. That made me feel like I belong. - 2018-2019 Scholar Gabriela Galilea, Paraguay
Empowered by their experience, Scholars return to the communities where they have been working equipped to have greater influence and impact on critical issues. Scholar Ana Maria Gonzalez-Forero from Colombia uses the frameworks she learned during the program’s weekly seminar to guide day-to-day decision making and ask questions aimed at impact for people, on institutions and policy. Since participation in the program Gonzalez-Forero’s understanding of social impact has broadened and enabled her to become a better leader and public official. Scholar Pavel Kounchev from Bulgaria credits his new ways of thinking to the perspectives and visionary leaders he was introduced to during the program, opening doors and inspiring collaborations that have taken his work to the next level.
For five years, the Obama Foundation Scholars program has provided future leaders with invaluable connections, knowledge, and resources, enabling them to make a tangible difference in their respective fields, locally and globally.The achievements of the Scholars who have completed the program are a testament to the transformative power of the experience.
I connected with world-leading researchers in the Columbia climate community, and I asked, how do we connect climate science with climate action and climate justice? That led me to volunteer with local environmental justice organizations and train myself as an intermediary between different sectors and stakeholders―between climate scientists working on different aspects of the climate emergency and, for example, local activists and residents in Harlem who were developing readiness plans for various extreme climate event scenarios. - 2021-2022 Scholar Jean-Noé Landry, Canada
From launching initiatives that connect parliamentarians worldwide to working in climate justice activism, healthcare access, migration-led innovation, and community development, the Scholars have gone on to make significant strides in their missions. The program's influence extends beyond the completion of the program, as Scholars maintain connections, contribute to a community of practice, and collaborate on projects. Alumni of the program have reflected on its transformative impact in fostering leadership skills and expanding their perspectives. Many attribute the program to opening career doors and helping them understand the importance of the public sector for enabling positive change in their organizations and the communities they work with.
Scholars also spend time in Chicago at the beginning and end of the nine-month program to connect with Obama Foundation staff and Obama Foundation Scholars at the University of Chicago who are enrolled in a Master’s program at one of three schools: the Harris School of Public Policy; Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice; and Booth School of Business.
Being an Obama Scholar means to me acknowledging that I am part of something greater. I am a piece to this puzzle of amazing dreamers, practitioners, very talented and intelligent people who care about the livelihoods of others, the earth, and so many issues. This experience has allowed me to come full-circle, where I feel I am going home with a more sustainable approach. – 2021-2022 Scholar Millicent Barty, Solomon Islands
This fall CWP will welcome its sixth cohort of Obama Foundation Scholars who will join a growing network of social impact leaders from around the world. “We are eager to introduce the next group of Columbia Obama Foundation Scholars to the thriving Scholar community and vast resources of the university while also learning from them,” said Daniella Sarnoff, director of the program at CWP.”We are humbled to play a part in supporting the fantastic work being done by Columbia Obama Scholars around the world, and as we look towards the next five, ten, fifteen years, we anticipate a growing tide of change led by these bright and committed change agents. ”
Applications for the seventh cohort will open this fall 2023, and we invite you to subscribe to the CWP newsletter to be notified when it is available and to stay up to date on CWP news.
About Columbia World Projects
Columbia World Projects is a university-wide initiative established in 2017 to forge a closer and more useful connection between Columbia University’s vast research capabilities and the needs of the world. CWP mobilizes researchers and scholars to work with governments, organizations, businesses, and communities to tackle global challenges.