Obama-sponsored scholarship sets Rochester juniors on path to public service

Mara Criollo-Rivera and Kristel Kezia Layugan plan careers helping underrepresented groups in media and health care.

Mara Criollo-Rivera ’25 hopes to redress inequalities in how underrepresented cultural groups are portrayed in film and media.

Kristel Kezia Layugan ’25 aims to combat health inequities by exploring alternative medicine and its integration into conventional health systems.

Both University of Rochester juniors will be aided in their efforts as recipients of the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship. They’re among 100 college students chosen for this year’s cohort. Rochester’s Laith Awad ’24 was a member of the inaugural cohort in 2022, resulting in three University recipients in two years.

Barack and Michelle Obama and Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky launched the $100 million scholarship fund last year to support college students pursuing careers in public service. The two-year grant gives recipients an academic scholarship, exposure to travel, and networking opportunities with leaders.

Criollo-Rivera is a digital media studies major who grew up in Puerto Rico and now resides in Vermont. As a 2023 recipient of the ETS/American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education undergraduate fellowship, she spent the summer of 2023 as a Peter Roth intern at the Paley Center for Media in New York City. The experience further fueled her desire to research the state of diverse representation within media entertainment and its impact on the social development of children. She aims to work in the TV industry and contribute to more inclusive environments in that medium and says the Voyager Scholarship presents an invaluable opportunity. “Stereotypes and underrepresentation can detrimentally affect self-esteem. In my view, effective storytelling serves as a vital tool in addressing this issue. The Voyager scholarship will grant me access to resources that will enable the continuation of my journey in public service,” she says.

Layugan is a clinical and translational sciences major from Maui, Hawaii. She says the Voyager Scholarship will allow her to explore complementary and alternative medicine and its integration into conventional health care systems. “It’s a stepping stone for me to grow as a person and challenge myself to break out of my comfort zone,” she says. “As I pursue a career as a health care worker, my goal is to foster a landscape where diverse perspectives and approaches are valued, where cultural humility is an active component of training, and where every individual’s unique background is acknowledged and respected as a critical aspect of their well-being.”

Belinda Redden, director of the Student Fellowships Office, is thrilled to have two Rochester recipients this year. Fellowships advisor Juliet Sullivan mentored Criollo-Rivera and Layugan throughout the demanding application process.

“Service-focused fellowship opportunities are of great interest to our ambitious, civic-minded students,” Redden says. “I am all the more pleased that these new Voyager Scholars’ drive for public service and the impact they seek to have in the world are so deeply informed by their cultural identities and lived experiences. While their success is individual, there’s a wonderful multiplier effect in the inspiration they provide to other Rochester students, lessening barriers to envisioning themselves as potential fellowship applicants and winners.”

Both students say their experiences at Rochester helped them grow and set them on their future career paths.

“The University has played a pivotal role in shaping who I am today and has prepared me for my role as a Voyager Scholar,” Criollo-Rivera says. “It has connected me with opportunities that have been an integral part of my undergraduate education.”

She says working as a program assistant at the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center deepened her understanding of cultural awareness, identity, and diversity, while serving as a bilingual research assistant at the University’s Cognitive Development Lab instilled in her the significance of research in advancing industries. “These skills are invaluable as a Voyager Scholar, as they enhance my ability to critically analyze and contribute to various fields of study,” she says.

Criollo-Rivera was also an intern at Ibero-American Action League, assisting the marketing and digital media departments with work on dual-language, multiservice programs that advocate for Latino and underserved communities in Rochester. She is of Puerto Rican and Peruvian descent and founded Rock of Arts by Mara, social media accounts that showcase her cultural heritage-inspired artwork. She also taught an online youth workshop at La Casita Cultural Center of Syracuse University during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping children in underserved communities engage with creative expression.

Criollo-Rivera says she has “a passion for solving the inequalities in presentations of cultural groups in film and media” Her dream job is to be an art director at an animation studio, creating conceptual art for diverse movies and TV shows. “I want to establish a path in the television industry to contribute to more culturally inclusive television environments through the powerful art of storytelling to reflect today’s growing diverse society,” she says.

Layugan is a volunteer at Golisano Children’s Hospital and a member of Rochester’s Filipino American Students’ Association, the American Sign Language (ASL) Club, and the Hawaiian Interest Club, where she’s serving as publicity chair. She’s also a cantor in her church back home. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped elderly people in her community gain access to vaccines.

“I’m what you would consider an introvert, so it was difficult breaking out of my shell at first,” she says. “I was fortunate to engage in extracurricular activities at the University that have not only enriched my college experience but also significantly shaped me and prepared me for a future of working with community and public service in mind. Engaging with the Program in American Sign Language through classes and clubs helped me become comfortable with making mistakes and learning from them. Volunteering at Golisano helped me understand how to empathetically interact with people and be flexible and creative in difficult situations.”

She says Rochester’s motto of “Meliora”—making the world ever better—will stick with her long after graduation. “I’m aware that my viewpoint of the world is ever-evolving,” she says. “I will always be working toward bettering myself and bridging the gaps in my knowledge, as I still have much to learn. Being a Voyager provides the resources to explore parts of the world and engage in new experiences that I never thought would be possible in my lifetime.”

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