Whitman College nominated four members of its senior class last fall, and all four were awarded overseas study fellowships last week.
"All of us at Whitman are delighted that all four of our nominees were selected," Whitman President Tom Cronin said. "This is a great honor for these outstanding seniors as well as for Whitman."
The Watson Foundation, based in Providence, R.I., announced a total of sixty 1996 fellowships on March 15. The program enables college graduates to engage in a year of independent study and travel abroad to explore topics of their own devising.
Administered in cooperation with 50 of America's top private colleges and universities, the program provides a grant of $16,000 to each recipient.
Three of Whitman's 1996 Watson fellows are from Oregon. The fourth is from nearby Vancouver, Wash. The students and a synopsis of each project follows:
** Katherine Deumling, a Portland, Oregon, native and politics major from Salem,
Oregon, will travel from Italy to Mexico to study the cultural, social, religious and
political importance of food and food preparation in the ongoing development of rural
countries. If visions of fresh pasta, olives, tortillas, sausage and goat cheese are
dancing in your head, click here for more information about
Katherine's mouth-watering excursion.
** Christian DeBenedetti, a Portland, Oregon, native and English major from
Newberg, Oregon, who plans a career in brewing, will trek from West Africa to Europe
to study ancient, traditional brewing techniques used in small communities. If Christian's
travel/study plans sound intriguing, click here to quench your
thirst for more detail.
** Jayson Jones, a music and anthropology major from Roseburg, Oregon, will
travel throughout India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, learning to play the tabla, a set of pitched
drums used in Indian classical music, and searching for the Indian equivalent of the America's
improvisational "jam session." His long-range goal is to breathe new life into American jazz.
If Jayson's musical odyssey strikes a fascinating chord, click
here to catch the rest of his tune.
** Jon Lambert, a Portland, Oregon, native and philosophy major from Vancouver,
Wash., will spend a year in Japan practicing the Yabunouchi tradition
of the Japanese Tea
Ceremony. He will study at the residence of the 13th generation Grand Master of the
Yabunouchi school, and continue to explore his interest in the relationships between
Christianity, Buddhism and philosophy. If this small sip of information isn't enough, click here for more details about Jon's plans to immerse himself in the
green tea of Japan.
More than 1,000 graduating seniors competed for sixty 1996 Watson Fellowships. Those selected will travel on their own to nearly 80 countries. Recipients were chosen on the basis of character, leadership potential, willingness to immerse themselves in new cultures, and the creativity and personal significance of their proposed projects.
"Watson Fellows are known for their creative, imaginative projects," said William Moses, executive director of the Watson Foundation, "but many people do not realize that the genesis of these projects comes from deep personal interests."
"Not everyone will find what they are looking for on their wanderjahr," Moses added. "But our hope is that a unique life-changing year spent pursuing dreams and passions overseas will result in Watson Fellows enriching business, science, academia and the arts when they return to America."
The Watson program is designed to give recipients the opportunity to explore with thoroughness a particular interest or concern, test their aspirations and abilities, view their lives and American society in greater perspective, and develop a more informed sense of international concerns. The program seeks projects that are personally significant and creative, yet focused and disciplined.
The program was established in 1968 by the children of Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, and his wife, Jeannette K. Watson, in honor of their parents' long-standing interest in education and world affairs.