Monica Brody-D'Urso Awarded Voyager Scholarship For Public Service

College of Medicine Junior Monica Brody-D'Urso is the first University of Arizona student to receive the Voyager Scholarship, a prestigious national award that empowers students to be future leaders and changemakers in the public service realm. 

The Voyager Scholarship, administered by the Obamas and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, helps students pursuing careers in public service by providing unparalleled access to travel and education. Voyagers receive up to $50,000 in financial aid over two years and $10,000 to pursue a summer work-travel experience between their junior and senior year. Monica is one of only 100 students who have been selected from a national pool of impressive scholars.

"Monica exemplifies the spirit of the Voyager Scholarship with her dedication to expanding healthcare access to communities that need it the most," said Valeria Quijada, Assistant Director for Nationally Competitive Scholarships. "She is passionate about expanding her knowledge of traditional medicine and combining it with knowledge of western medicine in order to provide a more holistic approach that will benefit her future patients. I’m excited to see where Monica’s journey will take her and the great things she will accomplish. "

Before transferring to the University of Arizona in 2023, Monica studied at the University of Rochester in New York. It had always been a dream of hers to leave her home state of Arizona and go east. She met her husband there, but after much deliberation, Monica ultimately decided to return to Arizona to serve her hometown community. 

After initially learning about the Voyager Scholarship at her former institution, Monica got right to work on her application upon transferring to U of A. She worked closely with the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships, which is housed in the W.A. Franke Honors College but serves all students, throughout the process—from brainstorming ideas to final edits. 

“I knew I wanted to come back home to U of A in order to put to practice this public service scholarship, and I was elated when I found out I received it!” she said, “I was visiting family and we all celebrated.” 

An additional perk of the Voyager Scholarship is access to continued education through travel and networking. Voyagers also receive a 10-year travel stipend of $2,000 every year, are invited to summit each Fall, get access to a network of leaders, and will join the Obama Foundation's global community after graduating. 

“This scholarship is not only life-changing financially, it has also opened a new opportunity to apply for nursing school!” said Monica, “I am most of all looking forward to the Voyager program itself; and exploring alternative medicine further.” 

Double majoring in Medicine and Spanish and minoring in Biochemistry, Monica has interests in studying the intersection between alternative and western medicine, and how it might apply in a clinical setting.  

Monica is passionate about improving access to culturally competent care throughout the U.S. Mexico Borderlands, which is evident in her campus and community involvements. She has worked with Humane Borders, a non-profit organization that seeks to help government and private landowners along the Arizona/Mexico border wall to make water and other lifesaving resources available to migrants, families seeking asylum, and anyone who finds themselves without water in the region. She also volunteers with U of A’s mobile health unit, which provides free preventive health screening to underserved populations in the Tucson and Phoenix areas. 

In reflecting on her journey to receiving the Voyager Scholarship, Monica said, “It is important to be patient with yourself.” 

“A year ago, I could barely function, let alone apply for such an incredible scholarship. I listened and acted on my needs to succeed, and now I feel capable of anything.”