Over the past two years, Ashlin Stover has helped to investigate extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. As a member of James Madison College’s Human Rights Data Science Lab, she analyzes open-source information — social media accounts, geographic data, incident reports — to document human rights violations.
This fall, that work helped earn her recognition as MSU’s first recipient of the Voyager Scholarship for Public Service.
Created by the Obamas and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, the scholarship program supports students who demonstrate a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities and an expansive view of what’s possible through public service. The 2025-2027 cohort of 100 students represents 34 states and territories and 71 colleges and universities.
Voyagers receive up to $50,000 in financial aid, a summer work-travel stipend and access to a network of mentors and leaders.
“I’m looking forward to taking my passions, especially for research and advocating for human rights, and molding this opportunity into something that is specific to what I want to do and who I want to help,” said Stover, a third-year JMC student majoring in international relations.
Finding the Voyager opportunity
The path to the scholarship began during a meeting with JMC Assistant Dean Jeff Judge. As they talked through Stover’s academic plans to pursue a senior honors thesis, Judge also shared information on a variety of upcoming award opportunities. He handed her a list from MSU’s Distinguished Student Awards Office with one scholarship circled: Voyager. “You have to apply, you have to do it,” Stover recalled him telling her.
The application asks students to design their “dream voyage,” including a work-travel experience that aligns with their public service goals. Stover pitched a Summer Voyage with a human rights advocacy focus working with Human Rights Watch. The organization’s global presence and commitment to documenting human rights violations aligns directly with her research experience and academic interests.
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Stover’s passion for human rights work took root during her first semester at MSU when she stumbled upon the Human Rights Data Science Lab at an organization fair.
Led by JMC Prof. Robert Brathwaite, the lab conducts open-source investigations into alleged human rights violations by using publicly available information. Students work directly with the International Criminal Court and other organizations, who brief them on research needs at the start of each semester and receive their findings a few months later.
During her first semester with the lab, Stover and fellow students investigated human rights abuses at migrant detention centers in the Central African Republic and examined human smuggling in Libya. For nearly two years now, Stover has been part of a team focused on the Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs campaign resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.
“Every week Ashlin volunteers her time to lead research teams in conducting open-source investigations into alleged human rights violations by mentoring her peers in investigative methods, managing sensitive data, and facilitating the presentation of evidence-based findings in academic or advocacy contexts,” said Brathwaite. “Ashlin’s dedication to the Human Rights Lab personifies the goals of the Voyager Scholarship where her passion for helping others through public service contributes positively to the MSU community and beyond."
Work with the lab has guided Stover toward a career focused on international human rights advocacy, but a summer study abroad experience in Brussels deepened that commitment.
As part of JMC’s “International Relations in Brussels” program, Stover spent four weeks studying in Belgium and visiting institutions like the European Parliament, European Commission, the Council of the European Union and NATO headquarters. One particularly meaningful visit came at the International Criminal Court, where she could see in person the institution she had been supporting through her research.
“To see the institution and meet our contact there in person was amazing,” Stover said. “This is where they do the work that’s so important to citizens globally, especially those in developing communities, that we have an emphasis on in the lab. That was a life-changing experience.”
Looking Ahead
When Stover arrived as a first-year student at JMC, she planned to become an attorney. Her courses and research experiences at the college have gradually shifted her focus from law school to graduate programs in international relations.
“I fell in love with understanding how different governments interact, both with each other and with their citizens,” she explained. “What really inspires me is seeing how our government can serve not only its own people, but also how it can positively influence lives far beyond its borders. I believe this is where I can make the greatest impact by aligning my strengths with my passion for advocating for human rights in the field of public service.”
This winter, Stover will attend a summit where she’ll meet the 2025-27 cohort of fellow Voyagers.
She’s currently designing her 2026 Summer Voyage — a six-to-eight-week experience that will allow her to pursue human rights research and advocacy work. While specific details are in development, her hope is to undertake a two-part experience that would include work with the UN Human Rights Council and Human Rights Watch.
Reflecting on applying for the Voyager opportunity, Stover credits the JMC community for making the scholarship possible.
“Without the impact of all of the people I met in JMC, I don’t think this would have been possible, especially without Jeff Judge encouraging me and Professor Robert Brathwaite giving me the opportunity to develop my passions in the lab,” she said.