Seniors earn Watson distinction

Author: Leslie Lim

The College announced its four nominees for the coveted Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in mid-October. The four seniors nominated were Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Jamie Henn, Vani Sathisan and Carolyn Barnwell. As one of 47 institutions participating in the fellowship program, the College selected the nominees out of 31 applicants this year for the grant, which allows for independent study and travel outside of the United States in the year following the fellow's graduation from college.

"We were blessed with an overabundance of applicants who met the criteria beautifully, and who had developed meaningful and creative project proposals, so our deliberations were by no means easy," said Karen Guttentag, the associate dean of Student Affairs. Guttentag headed the selection process this year, but credits Arlinda Wickland, director of fellowships and scholarships, with establishing the Watson Fellowship and its traditional popularity with the senior class at the College.

Guttentag attributes the College's success with the Fellowship because "we have a Watson Culture." She explained that many students drawn to Middlebury exhibit the characteristics of independence, leadership and creativity that the Watson Fellowship seeks.

Like many of her fellow applicants, Sathisan looks forward to the possibility of expanding her prior leadership experience with a Watson grant.

"A Watson Fellowship will enable me to further pursue my interest in the use of theatre as an informal system of moral education, empowerment and socialization in the development of peace," she said.

The Watson Fellowship offers students the chance to propose their own projects in order to explore a theme, issue or question they have been passionate about studying. It is completely self-designed and allows students to test their aspirations and abilities, gain a broader perspective beyond their home country's borders, and become a part of the international community. The fellowship awards $25,000 to cover one year of travel and related expenses. Additionally, an amount equal to 12 months' payment of federal and institutional student loans supplements the fellowship, easing the financial burden on the fellow. Uniquely, the Watson Fellowship does not base its endowment on G.P.A. but on other traits like passion and capacity.

"The open-ended nature of the Watson makes it a unique and almost unreal grant," said Barnwell. "While I believe money is not what's most important, Watson Foundation funding would allow me to pursue some of the things that are most important to me."

The College's four nominees proposed projects with topics ranging from youth climate activism to the use of theatre in transforming conflicts, and the nominees will be undergoing preparations for further selection rounds. Applications will be sent to the Watson Foundation by Nov. 7, and sometime between November and February a representative of the Foundation will come to campus to conduct a one-hour interview with each candidate. The final 50 recipients of the Watson Fellowships will be announced in mid-March.

Applicants were required to submit a transcript, resume and five-page proposal outlining their project, its development, its goals and why they were passionate about the said topic. A five-person committee, representing a wide range of academic disciplines, evaluated the applications. This year, the committee was comprised of Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture Pieter Broucke, Associate Professor of Sociology Ted Sasson, Mead Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Steve Trombulak, Lecturer in English and Film and Media Culture Don Mitchell and Guttentag. There was a selection of 11 semi-finalists who stood before the committee for 15-minute interviews, before the final four were chosen.

Recent recipients of the grant include Stephanie Morales '05 and Bennett Konesni '04.5. One fellow, Alison Shapiro '06, is currently on her journey of Painted Ladies: A Cultural Exploration of Women and Tattooing, traveling through Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, India, Morocco and Tanzania. She is currently blogging about her adventure on permanentmarkers.wordpress.com/.