Augustana University student awarded Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service
Rachida Mahamed, a student at Augustana University from Sioux Falls, was selected for an Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.
This scholarship will provide Mahamed and 100 other recipients who are rising college juniors with up to $50,000 in financial aid, a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing for a summer work-travel experience between the junior and senior year of college, an invitation to a fall summit and access to a network of leaders and mentors.
Mahamed, who is studying government and international relations, plans to focus on public health disparities that bar immigrants living in the U.S. from accessing and achieving positive health outcomes.
The Augie student has also been in the news as a columnist for the Argus Leader’s “Perspectives” and "Speaking Truth to Power" series, writing against the killing of a bill that would’ve provided free school lunch and against racism towards Indigenous students; as a host of “In the Know,” a local podcast; as someone pushing for Sioux Falls schools to have a diversity and inclusion committee; and, as a 12-year-old, proposing to keep Sioux Falls libraries open on Sundays before the city council.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Augustana University's Rachida Mahamed wins Obama-Chesky Scholarship
