USC Price student wins prestigious Obama-backed Voyager Scholarship

Before arriving at the USC Price School of Public Policy, Khris Gonzalez Pebe was already improving communities around the world.

About five years ago, she and her friends rallied support for volunteer school trips to needy neighborhoods in Peru, where she grew up. Together with her friends, Pebe convinced a school board to launch bi-weekly trips in which students built more than 50 homes, conducted 20 food drives and supported the elderly in senior-living homes. 

And she was just 15 years old. 

“It was a good experience because it wasn’t about sympathy or self-gratification,” Pebe said. “It was really changing the lives of people who are facing housing and food insecurity – and not just by myself, but with an entire class.”

Since coming to the U.S. in 2022, Pebe has continued to help others through jobs and internships dealing with housing insecurity, environmental justice and national security. Now, she’s being recognized with a prestigious scholarship. 

Pebe, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy (BSPP), has won an Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Also known as the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama Foundation program provides up to $50,000 in financial aid over two years, as well as a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience. Pebe will also have the chance to attend an annual summit to help define and inspire her public service career. 

“I was super excited and elated,” Pebe said of winning the award. “I love the opportunity of getting the Obama-Chesky Scholarship, mainly because it has so much impact and power to help me and other future leaders.”

The scholarship is especially meaningful to Pebe, who has navigated financial challenges while emphasizing the importance of an education. Raised by her mother in Peru, Pebe said she at times faced housing and food insecurity. Her mom took out loans to keep her daughter in private school and with her support system, giving Pebe a better chance of being accepted into a U.S. university. 

“I pursued education very hard. I tried to get all straight A’s because, in Peru, there are not many part-time or internship opportunities for high-schoolers or middle-schoolers,” Pebe said.

She has racked up plenty of jobs and internships ever since. Pebe, who is enrolled in the Data Analytics concentration of the BSPP program, is currently an Intelligence Analyst Intern for the U.S. Department of Defense, where she produces weekly reports tracking illicit drug trade in Syria. She previously monitored environmental complaint sites using Google Earth data for the nonprofit Accountability Counsel. And she was Director of Communications at the USC Gould Housing Law and Policy Clinic, where students work with tenants, community groups and local leaders to address housing issues in Los Angeles. 

“I’ve always been interested in not only learning about myself, but also learning about what I can do in new environments,” Pebe said. “I love throwing myself into stuff that I don’t know anything about.”

Pebe also recently won a $10,000 scholarship from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.

The next topic she plans to tackle is the complex web of illicit networks that fuel human rights crises and undermine the effectiveness of international aid in development projects. Pebe is developing a capstone project that will use geospatial analysis and financial tracking to map the flow of international aid. The goal of the project, called “Development Dollars in Conflict,” is to ensure aid reaches those who need it most while identifying areas where illicit activities harm international development efforts.

“Many times, certain projects designed to address an issue make it worse because the consulting is often crass-utilitarian, and they don’t even end up talking to the local populations or visiting the area,” Pebe said. 

“I always try to see not just the second side of the story, but all the facets,” she added. “When it comes to issues that I’m analyzing, it’s very important to see what is impacting not just the community but other populations that we maybe didn’t think of.”