Watson Stories

Learn about the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and Sewanee's history with this organization that annually selects college seniors for a chance to travel the world, pursuing a project of their own devising.

Arnie Frishman, C'85: "The Watson Fellowship, without a doubt, has had a bigger impact on my life than any other single event."

Michele L. Bambling, C'85: Japan and Korea

Thomas C. Lakeman, C’86: "Propose to do something that absolutely sets your soul on fire."

Shelly R. Browning, C'86: China, Australia, and England

Joe Wiegand, C’87: "I’ve always been a believer in the limitless potential of life. The Watson fueled my fire to make a difference."

Jenifer Bobo Elmore, C’88: "My Watson travels permanently altered and expanded my cultural and intellectual boundaries. ... I don’t think my craving for travel will ever be satisfied."

David L. Ariasingam, C'88: China, India, and Australia

Jordan Savage, C’89: "There is a very strong relationship between my current work and my Watson year."

Sandy Guitar Wallis, C’90: "The Watson teaches you how small this vast world is. There was such hospitality shown to me in the most unlikely corners of the world."

Suzanne Cahill Toner, C’90: "It only took me one country to learn that I knew nothing. From there I learned humility and the power of observation."

Kenneth Wood, C’91: "Living in another country gave me a different perspective on the U.S. and allowed me to pursue other interests that I had begun to form at Sewanee."

Walter R. Parmer, C'91: Great Britain, Germany

Andrew D. Buchanan, C’92: "My goal was to assimilate a dying tradition from an expert piper and help preserve the tradition."

Jason Forrester, C’93: "Living in Trinidad, I frequently grapple with the questions raised during my Watson year."

Tammy Haston Austin, C’93: "My motivation for this project lies in my own background, being a product of a rural public school system."

Kevin Watt, C’94: "It is often in these times of intense challenge when one sees with greatest clarity."

Jennifer Wood Everhart, C’95: "I soon realized the importance of recognizing the 'living status' of the folk scene in these countries."

Elizabeth Harris, C’96: "My Watson year and my profession as a medical doctor allow me to communicate with people from all ethnic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds."

Christopher S. Piromalli, C’97: "My Watson year opened my eyes to unique understandings about medicines that I may never have experienced here in the United States."

Jonathan Meiburg, C’97: "I went to study people, but I ended up being equally fascinated by the birds of these remote areas."

Jason Price, C’98: "My aim was to characterize the types and amounts of environmental impact in these ranges, ... but I realized somewhere along the way that in fact 'environmental impact' can (and in fact should) be viewed through cultural lenses."

Sam Whitt, C’98: "The Watson experience gave me the necessary background in area studies to pursue a Ph.D. in political science."

Christian Setzer, C'98: U.K., South Africa, Australia

Abigail Mann, C'98: U.K., Ireland

Kristina Steenson Lishawa, C’99: "The lessons I learned from the indigenous midwives continue to remind me of the healing power of touch, the importance of patient autonomy, and the ways that simple presence can minister to suffering."

Jon Morris, C'99: "Someone said you have to have great life experience to be an artist. What better experience to pull from than a Watson?"

Sylvester Tan, C'00: "I found myself before my own smallness in the world, and nonetheless recognized for the first time the significance of that smallness, in that it may be used for good and beauty."

Elizabeth Downey, C'00: "My Watson Fellowship transformed me from an aspiring music performer to an aspiring composer and improvisation artist."

Jason Wilson, C'01: "It proved to be a truly worthwhile period of reflection and helped me to better understand and develop my thoughts, feeling, and beliefs."

George Wilcox Brown III, C'01: "In Africa, I heard lions roaring outside my tent during the night. In the Solomon Islands, I got to know the chief of Harara Village on Santa Isabelle Island."

Ian Mitchell Scott, C'01: Ireland, Switzerland, Senegal, Guadeloupe

Kraemer Allen Lovelace, C'02: Argentina, Australia, Brazil

Kate Cummings, C'02: "It was nearly impossible for me to contain my happiness about being with these people."