Two graduates uphold Whitman's Watson Record

Two of Whitman's 1999 graduates, Haroon Ullah and Daniel Meyers, won Thomas J. Watson fellowships for the 1999-2000 academic year. Each received a $22,000 grant to travel outside the United States while engaging in a year-long, self-designed research project.

	Haroon Ullah

Ten Watson fellowships have gone to Whitman students during the past four years. No other participating college has received as many during that time period.

Ullah, a politics major from Richland, Washington, will visit India, Israel, Brazil, and Cameroon, pursuing a study he titles "With Head, Heart & Spirit: Exploring the Culture of Futbol." Soccer, says Ullah, functions as a social outlet in India, a social unifier in Israel, a medium for ethnic differentiation and political expression in Cameroon, and a national art form in Brazil. He plans to study soccer's various cultural roles by playing the game with children, participating as a fan, and learning about the experiences of some of the world's greatest players.

Ullah, who plans to pursue a master's degree in public health, also was offered a 1999 Fulbright Scholarship to study preventative health care policy in Saudi Arabia.

	Daniel Meyers

Meyers, an English-music major from Spokane, Washington, will visit Ireland, where he plans to study the country's traditional music and learn to play the complex uillean pipes. He will travel through both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, learning about regional styles and traditions of Irish piping.

Meyers has performed with the Whitman Renaissance Consort and written and directed music for Harper Joy Theatre in addition to his classical and jazz trombone studies. He also worked as a musician at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last summer.

Meyers plans to pursue graduate studies in musicology and to work professionally as a musicologist and musician.