Three Puget Sound Students receive Watson Fellowships for year of international travel and independent exploration
March 16, 2007
Tacoma, Wash. – University of Puget Sound is pleased to announce that three of its students were awarded prestigious fellowships for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. No college or university had more fellowships awarded than Puget Sound.
This evidence of academic achievement follows recent announcements in which University of Puget Sound was ranked in the top 10 baccalaureate colleges producing Fulbright Scholars, and ranked first in the nation in number of graduates serving in the Peace Corps.
“These three Puget Sound students - now Watson Fellows - represent the best of Puget Sound. Their self-designed projects demonstrate a world-focus and intellectual curiosity that our university fosters,” said Sharon Chambers-Gordon, Puget Sound’s Watson fellowship liaison.
In addition to their academic achievements, the fellows have been leaders on- and off- campus. Watson Fellows from Puget Sound are:
• Zorba C. Leslie, a Politics and Government major from Tacoma, Wash where he graduated from Stadium High School. Leslie will travel to Chile, South Africa, Rwanda, and Cambodia to explore Finding Justice: Learning to Reconcile the Past to Live in the Present.
• Kendra Loebs, a Biology major from Lakefield Minnesota. Loebs attended the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota. She will travel to Morocco, India, Thailand, Japan, and Tonga to examine Biology and Belief in the Manual Management of Chronic Pain.
• Leif Rasmuson, a Biology major from Sebastopol, Calif, where he attended Analy High School. Rasmuson will analyze Changing Seas: Evolving from Traditional to Commercial Fisheries in Norway, Chile, Japan, and Australia.
High resolution photos of the Watson Fellows are available at www.ups.edu/pressphotos.xml. Additional information on their individual projects and year of travel is available on our Web site.
In total, 50 Watson fellowships were awarded to college seniors of unusual promise from 24 states and seven foreign countries out of nearly 1,000 applicants. As fellows, they’ll span 90 countries, exploring topics ranging from folk puppetry to the global fossil trade.
As interesting as these projects are, “The awards are long-term investments in people, not research,” says Rosemary Macedo, the Executive Director of the Watson Fellowship Program and a former Watson Fellow. “We look for people likely to lead or innovate in the future and give them extraordinary independence in pursuing their interests. They must have passion, creativity, and a feasible plan. The Watson Fellowship affords an unequaled opportunity for global experiential learning.”
Nearly 1,000 students from up to 50 selective private liberal arts colleges and universities apply for these awards each year. This year, 179 finalists competed on the national level, after their institutions nominated them in the autumn. Each fellow receives $25,000 for the year of travel and exploration. In addition to the travel grant, the Watson Foundation will make all student loan payments, on behalf of each fellow, for 12 consecutive months.
The Watson Foundation was established in 1968 to give graduating seniors an opportunity for a focused year of study of their own design. The year of travel provides fellows an opportunity to test their aspirations and abilities and develop a more informed sense of international concern. Since beginning its affiliation with the Watson Foundation in 1993-94, Puget Sound has produced 18 Watson fellows. Priti Joshi, assistant professor of English is the current faculty Watson coordinator. More information is available on the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, including a complete list of this year’s Thomas J. Watson fellowship recipients and their projects at www.watsonfellowship.org.
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