(uplifting piano music)
(audience cheering and applauding)
- I could not be more excited
about this first class of Voyagers.
- We are here with 97 of our 100 Voyagers.
President Obama and Brian Chesky
will be sharing a little bit
about their own personal journeys when it comes
to their roles in public service
and answering some questions that the Voyagers are grappling
with as young people looking to find their path
within public service.
- One of the things we believe is, is that if people
of your talent and capacity, if we can make that easier
for you, both financially, but also through the connections
and exposure to new ideas and new cultures that we
hope this program gives you,
then the sky's the limit for you.
But we're gonna be on a learning process together,
'cause you're gonna be shaping this,
not just for yourselves and for each other,
but for subsequent classes that are coming through.
- The world can't just be driven by technologists.
It has to be driven by people
that wanna make change in the public service sector.
And we really want to do something to inspire people,
to support them,
and to create the next generation of bridge builders.
And that's why we're just so excited to partner
with all of you.
- My question for you both is how do you build a team
around you and how do you know when to listen
and when to lead?
- I do think that part
of being a leader is learning how to be part of a team
before you wanna lead it.
At your stage in life,
I want you to be wildly ambitious
about what you can accomplish.
But understanding that accomplishing big things takes time
and that it requires hard work.
- Often when we were in the White House
the President would say to us, "All the best solutions
to these problems are not found in Washington."
So we want to, we have to go out
in communities and we have to talk to people on the ground.
The most important thing I would say
is to put yourself in the shoes
of the person you're designing or creating something for.
Go to the place that you're trying to solve a problem
for and meet them and learn and listen.
- My passion area is in substance use and addiction.
And so I'm hoping to use my Voyage experiences to learn more
about what's currently happening
in the substance use and addiction space.
- I plan to go to Southeast Asia, specifically Laos
and Thailand, and look at the attitudes of Hmong families
in response to queerness and intersectionality.
- But one of the things that surprised me is,
the more I travel,
the more I start to see commonalities between people.
The other is not so other, but hopefully
through these voyages you can go to the other side.
You can see what the world is like and take the best ideas.
- Who are some individuals that you credit
to facilitating your journey to public service?
- You know, who was a good mentor of mine?
The housekeeping staff in my dorm, my first year in college.
And I remember one time for whatever reason, waking up early
and seeing them clean up after us and thinking, you know
that could be my grandmother, and there's nothing cool
about me making a mess for somebody else to clean up.
The people who can have influence
on your lives don't have to be a CEO or president.
It can be just somebody who offers you some wisdom
and insight about what's important,
who can teach you how to live out your values.
- One of the things that really stood out to me here
was the impact of mentors,
because I've had a lot of mentors in my life
and President Obama, what he said really resonates with me
that we need to learn from other people and it's not
just ourselves that we need to learn from.
So, I really take that to heart.
- As you plan for your travels.
Keep in mind what Brian said.
There is a habit when you are
in someplace foreign to look for the stuff that's just
like home, 'cause it makes you comfortable.
So, you need to be intentional in immersing yourself
in the place that you are and learning from that.
And don't fall back on the safety
of the technology in your back pocket.
Alright everybody, good luck to all
of you and we'll see you on the other side.
All right. Thank you, everybody
(inspiring music)