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What is the Watson?
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States, awarded to graduating seniors nominated by 41 colleges, including Wesleyan University. The Watson Fellowship allows fellows to engage with their deepest interest on a global scale during the year after they graduate. Fellows decide where to go, who to meet, and when to change course; the Watson Foundation funds their project to the tune of $40,000. The program aims to produce personal insight, perspective, and confidence that will shape the arc of fellows’ lives. Each year Wesleyan can nominate up to four candidates to go on to the national competition. The Watson Fellowship is open to Wesleyan students of all disciplines and all citizenships. Only members of the Class of 2024 are eligible to apply in the current cycle, but first-years and sophomores are also encouraged to attend the Q&A to learn more about what the Watson Fellowship is all about.

Watson Fellowship Alumni Panel – 4/18 at 4:30pm, Fisk 201/Zoom
Come learn about the Watson Fellowship! In this session, we’ll get to hear from two Wesleyan alumni currently traveling abroad as Watson Fellows: Livia Cox’ 22 (Neuroscience and Science in Society) and Inayah Bashir (CSS). They’ll share some of the experiences from their year of world travel and deep exploration and they’ll take questions about their own projects and the ins and outs of the Watson Fellowship.

When? Tuesday April 18 at 4:30pm Eastern time — we’ll have snacks!
Where? Fisk 201, register on WesNest (and on Zoom if you are off campus; register to join on Zoom at the link)

Applying for the Watson Fellowship: Q&A with Watson Fellow Jocelyn Velasquez Baez (’23)
When? Monday April 24 at 4:30pm  — we’ll have snacks!
Where? Fisk 201, register on WesNest for event reminders and followup info

Join Assistant Director for Fellowships, Erica Kowsz, and Wesleyan’s newest Watson Fellow, Jocelyn Velasquez Baez (’23) for a Q&A about applying for the Watson Fellowship. Jocelyn will speak about her project idea, how she developed her Watson proposal, and what the application process was like. Only members of the Class of 2024 are eligible to apply in the current cycle, but first years and sophomores are encouraged to attend this Q&A to learn more about what the Watson Fellowship is all about and to gain insights into the project development and application processes.

Many Wesleyan students go on to prestigious and fulfilling opportunities in Asia after Wesleyan. You can too! Come learn from a panel of alumni from diverse backgrounds and achievements who’ve done just that. Several of them will be zooming in from the region, hence the early event hour. Join us in person at 9 am on April 17 in Fisk 201, or if you’re off campus, you can register to join this event on Zoom.

Here’s a look at our panelists:  

Bulelani Jili ’16 (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) is a Meta Research Ph.D. Fellow at Harvard University. His research interests include US-China competition, ICT Development, Africa-China relations, Cybersecurity, National Security, Algorithmic Decision-Making, and Privacy Law. Previously he received his Master’s degree in Economics and Management from Yenching Academy at Peking University. 

Austin Pope ’19 (Government and East Asian History) is a graduate student at National Chengchi University’s International Master’s Program of Asia-Pacific Studies in Taiwan. He was previously a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, also in Taiwan. While at Wesleyan, Austin double majored in Government and the College of East Asian Studies, and was involved with the Local Co-op and various political campaigns around Connecticut. 

Born in northern Vietnam, Anna Nguyen ’22 (CSS, Economics, International Relations) has been living across the world in the UK, the US, China and Vietnam, working as a community advocate for DEI-related and educational causes everywhere she goes. Among other thigns, she is currently a Schwarzman Scholar pursuing a master’s degree in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University, after having recently received her bachelor’s degree with a full-ride scholarship as a Freeman Asian Scholar at Wesleyan University.

Jed Munson ’19 (East Asian Studies and English) is an editorial fellow at the Library of America in New York City. As an English major at Wesleyan, he received the 2019 Dorchester Prize for his thesis on the Korean demilitarized zone. He continued this research on a 2021 Fulbright open study/research grant in South Korea, where he wrote his book of essays, Commentary on the Birds, forthcoming with Rescue Press in fall 2023.

Miranda Zuo is the former Head of Admissions for the Yenching Academy of Peking University, and is now a Dean of Admission for Wesleyan University. She is an alum of Beloit College with majors in Education Studies and Chinese Language and Culture.

Join us for conversation and donuts!