On March 19, four Hamilton College seniors were named as Watson Fellows. This prestigious fellowship, which accepts applications from seniors at forty colleges and universities in the United States, provides $30,000 for fellows to pursue “a year of independent, purposeful exploration” outside of the country. Each of the colleges that the Watson Foundation partners with are allowed to nominate up to four students for the Fellowship, meaning that Hamilton students received the maximum amount of fellowships available to the college.
The seniors receiving the awards are Kureem Nugent ’18, Isabel O’Malley ’18, Paula Ortiz ’18, and Marquis Palmer ’18. This year, the Watson Foundation received 152 applications for the Fellowships. This is the 50th year of the Watson Fellowship. Fellows hail from eight countries and 17 states; their range of projects is equally diverse. Many notable figures in academia, the arts, science, business, and politics have been Watson Fellows, including two current United States Ambassadors and current members of the House of Representatives.
Nugent, a sociology major, received his award for his proposed project entitled: “Cultivating Cultural Capital: Exploring the Path to College.” During his fellowship, Nugent will explore access to higher education across different cultures. During the year, he intends to visit Chile, Finland, Germany, and Japan.
O’Malley, a psychology major, received her award for her project “Therapeutic Radio: Storytelling, Self-help, & Community Health Care.” Through volunteering with hospital and community radio programs, O’Malley intends to learn how people share their experiences across different cultures. During the year, she will visit Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, and Brazil.
Ortiz, an art major, received her award for her project “Active Meditation Across Disciplines of Impermanence.” Ortiz will study meditation across different religious, agricultural and artisanal communities. She will conduct her research in India, Japan, New Zealand, and Brazil.
Palmer, a philosophy major, received his award for his project “Skateboarding Communities.” Palmer will join skateboarding communities around the world and investigate how their values and customs are similar and different.
