Lone Star College - Kingwood Graduate Awarded Prestigious Scholarship - Atascocita

Published: Oct 23, 2025, 1:45pm

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A Lone Star College-Kingwood Honors College graduate has been awarded the prestigious Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

Ian Mathews is from Humble, and a 2025 alum of Lone Star College - Kingwood. He graduated with the Honors Associates of Science Degree. During his time at Lone Star College - Kingwood, he was a member of the Honors College Leadership Program, and the Kingwood Honors student representative to the Honors College Student Advisory Board (2023-2025). Mathews was also a Chancellors Fellow, and the President of Lone Star College - Kingwood's LULAC (The League of United Latin American Citizens) Chapter.

“The Honors College prepared me by helping me learn how to make connections with people, including scholars in the Voyager program and writing through research projects, scholarship prep for Goldwater and JKC (Jack Kent Cooke), and all the mentorship that comes with it,” shared Mathews. “That constant push to think, write, and express myself in an academic and creative way is what helped me put together a strong application for this scholarship.”

The Voyager Scholarship was created by Barack and Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb.

The two-year scholarship program is open to students entering their junior year of college at an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S., who have demonstrated a financial need, and who are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, permanent residents, or DACA recipients.

It gives college students financial aid to alleviate the burden of college debt, meaningful travel experiences to expand their horizons, and a network of mentors and leaders to support them, including:

* Up to $50,000 in financial aid: Students will receive up to $25,000 per year in “last dollar” financial aid for their junior and senior years of college. This financial aid should alleviate the burden of college debt so that students can afford to pursue a career in public service.

* Summer Voyage: Students will receive a $10,000 stipend and Airbnb travel credits to pursue a summer work-travel experience between their junior and senior year of college. The students will design their own Summer Voyage to gain exposure to new communities and experience in a chosen field.

* Fall Summit: Students are invited to an annual summit to help define and inspire their public service journey.

* Network of leaders: Throughout the program, students will be invited to an ongoing speaker series, giving them access to a network of leaders. This network of leaders will expose them to new areas of service and innovations happening in their fields. After graduation, they will join The Obama Foundation’s global community, providing them with Foundation resources and programming.

Mathews is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) at Vanderbilt University.

“This scholarship is honestly life changing. It not only lifts a financial burden off my shoulders, but it also gives me the freedom to pursue the future I want, which is to provide access to genetic care and cancer prevention for rural communities in the Philippines. It’s a huge step toward the kind of work I’ve dreamed about doing.”

Mathews is one of 100 undergraduate students selected for the Voyager Scholarship.

“I’m honestly so proud and excited to win this scholarship,” he said. “It still feels mind-blowing to think about. Having this kind of support from the Obama Foundation behind me makes me even more enthusiastic about the goals I’m chasing.”

Lone Star College - Kingwood sophomores interested in applying for the Voyager Scholarship are encouraged to learn more about the program and apply. Each spring, the application becomes available for current sophomores who plan to transfer to a four-year institution for their junior year.

To read more about the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, visit https://www.obama.org/programs/voyager-scholarship/.

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