Former President Barack Obama’s Foundation has named a new cohort of Obama Fellows. They will be in residence at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The newest cohort of Obama Foundation Scholars was announced on September 4. This year’s scholars include 18 students at the University of Chicago, who will be joined by 11 Obama scholars entering the program at Columbia University.
At both institutions, the Obama Scholars, who come from the United States and several other countries, take part in a customized curricula emphasizing leadership development, networking activities, and professional support throughout the academic year. According to the Obama Foundation, it’s aim is to help the scholars gain the real-world skills, tools, and experiences they need to work “together to solve the most pressing challenges of our time, thereby creating a global network that reaches across issues and borders.”
Throughout the year, the scholars are exposed to high-level thought leaders from several sectors, and their program experiences are tailored to take advantage of the intellectual breadth of the two universities as well as the rich resources of Chicago and New York City.
Since its inception in 2018, the program has supported a total of 190 leaders from 67 countries. This year’s cohort includes 29 students committed to make a difference in areas as varied as improving health care in Chicago, promoting STEM education for girls in Africa, countering disinformation in Ukraine, and expanding access to education in Uzbekistan. A complete list of the 2025-26 scholars can be found here.
“We’re proud to welcome the newest class of Obama Foundation Scholars,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, in a news release. “They bring bold ideas, deep community ties and a track record of turning vision into action. Over the next year, they’ll sharpen their skills, expand their networks, and learn from one another so they can return home ready to expand opportunities for the organizations and communities they serve.”
University of Chicago
At the University of Chicago, the 18 Obama scholars come from the Booth School of Business, the Harris School of Public Policy and the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Included among the University of Chicago Scholars are:
Christian Ochoa (Wyoming, Michigan) is a veteran and a researcher at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he served as an intern at DaVita Kidney Care. Christian has helped develop strategies to increase the rate of optimal dialysis starts for new patients. As an Obama Scholar, Christian wants to remove barriers to kidney care on Chicago’s South Side, with a long-term aim of establishing an organization dedicated to connecting vulnerable populations with living organ donors.
Hira Qureshi (Marietta, Georgia) is a former senior advisor in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she led initiatives focused on recruitment, onboarding, and employee retention. As an Obama Scholar, Hira wants to use her experience to develop a comprehensive pipeline and mentorship program for students in Chicago to pursue careers in public service.
Julia Wiener (Chicago, Illinois) is committed to ensuring safe and affordable housing, particularly for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Julia has been involved in tenant union organizing, working to build power and community and helping people keep one another safe. Julia plans to continue partnership building with civic practitioners and housing organizers, as they strive to increase tenant rights and improve affordable housing policy.
Opeyemi Sunmola (Nigeria) is the co-founder and director of LANE (Light Africa Network), an organization dedicated to increasing access to graduate education and leadership opportunities for young professionals across Africa and the African diaspora. Ope has helped the organization support over 2,300 Black and African graduate school applicants, with more than 70% receiving funding from top-100 programs. He wants to institutionalize LANE’s impact by building long-term systems and partnerships that give underrepresented talent increased access to global graduate programs.
“Students in the University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program deeply value the ability to test ideas and partner with communities to translate insights from scholarship into impact,” said Provost Katherine Baicker, in a press release. “By engaging partners across Chicago and beyond, these rising leaders will develop the tools needed to address complex challenges for the benefit of their communities.”
Columbia University
At Columbia, the scholars complete a fully-funded nine-month residency at Columbia World Projects (CWP). The program includes professional development workshops, formal coursework, a speaker series, experiential learning, mentoring by a Columbia faculty member, and a weekly seminar that addresses several global topics, including inequality, technological developments, the diffusion of power, population movements, and climate change. Here are three of this year’s group.
Antonella Perrone (Argentina) is the COO at Xcapit, a UNICEF-backed startup, where she leads the development and implementation of blockchain-based solutions to make financial tools more available for people who don’t have internet, smartphones, or bank accounts. She wants to scale Xcapit to reach more people across Latin America.
Michael Richard Katagaya (Uganda)is the co-founder of Evidence and Methods Lab, a civic tech organization that uses data and technology to support civic education and promote participatory governance across Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa. Michael aims to empower more communities to use digital information to make better informed decisions about the policies that impact them most.
Valeria Kovtun (Ukraine) leads strategic partnerships at OpenMinds, where she coordinates efforts across 30 governments and organizations worldwide to develop effective countermeasures to disinformation. She also founded Filter, Ukraine’s first governmental media literacy program. Valeria intends to use her year as a scholar to refine her approach to strengthen societal resilience against authoritarian influences and disinformation tactics.
About the Obama Scholars Program
The Obama Foundation Scholars Program receives financial support from several organizations and private foundations, including BMO Harris Bank; Robert and Jane Clark; The Clayco Foundation; The Crown Family; The Harris Family Foundation; Rachel DeYoung Kohler and Mark S. Hoplamazian; The Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation; Charles Ashby Lewis and Penny Bender Sebring; The Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation; The Neubauer Family Foundation; and Susan Rustandy and Tandean Rustandy.
In addition to the special programming at the two universities, the Scholars receive financial support. At the University of Chicago, each participant is given $10,000 in the form of a stipend to defray tuition costs and living expenses. At Columbia, the scholars receive a monthly stipend, a furnished studio apartment within walking distance of Columbia University, tuition and fees for up to four courses at Columbia, basic health insurance, and travel expenses.
