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ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Purpose
The Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship provides internships, mentoring, and enriched educational opportunities to promising New York City undergraduates with the goal of increasing their life choices and developing their capacity to make a difference in their own and others’ lives. The centerpiece of the Fellowship is on-the-job learning that will:
  • Provide opportunities for leadership and personal growth;
  • Help test in practice what you may be learning in the classroom;
  • Provide experience and insight on choices for a future vocation;
  • Assist you in thinking about graduate program opportunities;
  • Help you present a more compelling application for national fellowships, graduate admissions, and jobs.
The Thomas J. Watson Foundation was created in 1961 as a charitable trust by Mrs. Thomas J. Watson, Sr., in honor of her late husband, the founder of International Business Machines Corp., widely known as IBM. The Foundation initially used its resources in support of a variety of programs. In 1968 it created the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program, which makes travel and study awards to outstanding graduating seniors at a select group of small liberal arts colleges throughout the United States. In 1999 the Foundation created the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship in honor of the wife of Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

Click here to download the 2009 Jeannette K. Watson Annual Report.

To view our Annual Report, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 installed on your computer. If you do not have this software installed, download it first by clicking here.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Opportunity
The Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship offers fifteen students paid internships for three consecutive summers. The internships will be closely supervised and provide challenging work from which one can learn.

In the course of the program, interns (Fellows) are encouraged to sample work in at least two of three sectors: nonprofit organizations, government service, and private enterprise. Each internship lasts up to ten weeks. The stipend is $5,000 for the first summer and $6,000 for the second and third summers.

Fellows will meet regularly in seminars with their peers, the fourteen other Jeannette K. Watson Fellows who are selected from ten New York City colleges, to discuss their internship experiences and talk about important issues with distinguished New Yorkers. Each year, 45 Fellows are at various stages in their three-year tenure.













ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Obligation
A Watson Fellow is expected to complete successfully three summers of paid internships of up to ten weeks that will enhance her/his vocational goals and personal development. During the summer, Fellows must also take part in a weekend orientation session, participate in a program of evening seminars designed to complement the internships, maintain a weekly professional journal, and attend cultural events scheduled both during evenings and on weekends. Attendance is also required at four term-time seminars held on Saturdays.

The Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship staff constructs internships in consultation with the Fellows. The Director must approve of all assignments.













ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Internship
Many of today's leaders first found purpose and meaning in their lives through internships they held during their college years. These experiences shaped their values, career directions, and further education plans. To have such an influence, an internship should be an experience from which one can learn, and an internship should have a strong mentoring supervisor.

Through the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, this type of meaningful internship will be developed in consultation with each Fellow in terms of that Fellow's growing interests and career directions. The first two summers will be spent in challenging internships in New York City. Fellows are encouraged to spend their third summer at an internship in another country or city.













ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

What Do Graduates of the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship Do?

Enroll in Graduate Schools:
  • American University, Cairo, Middle East Studies
  • Brooklyn Law School
  • Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University
  • Columbia University, Teacher's College (3)
  • Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health
  • Columbia University, School of Continuing Education
  • Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (2)
  • CUNY, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn
  • Fordham University, Economics
  • Harvard University, Kennedy School of Public Affairs
  • Harvard University, School of Law
  • Hofstra University, School of Law
  • Hunter College, School of Health Sciences, Urban Public Health
  • INSEAD (Institut Europeen d'Administration des Affaires), Management
  • John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  • The Johns Hopkins University, Political Science
  • Long Island University, Social Work/Nonprofit Management
  • Loyola University, College of Law
  • New School University, Media Studies
  • New York University, Visual Culture Theory
  • New York University, Public Health
  • New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Film
  • New York University, School of Medicine
  • Southern Methodist University, School of Law
  • SUNY, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
  • Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
  • University of California at Los Angeles, Political Science
  • University of Chicago, Political Science
  • University of Missouri at Columbia, Journalism
  • University of Tel Aviv
  • University of Washington Seattle, Creative Writing, Education
 Win National Fellowships:

  • Beinecke Scholarship (graduate study)
  • Coro Fellows Program- St. Louis
  • Critical Languages Scholarship, Arabic, Bangla
  • Fulbright (6), Albania, Bangladesh, Malawi, South Korea, Turkey (2)
  • Gates Millennieum Scholarship
  • Harry S. Truman Scholarship (2)
  • Humanity in Action Fellowship
  • IREX/Dept. of State Young Leadership Fellowship, Russia
  • Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Humanities & Medicine Program
  • National Security Education Fellowship, Haiti
  • Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
  • PPIA, Public Policy and International Fellowship Program
Volunteer for Service Opportunities:
  • New York City Teaching Fellowship
  • New York City Urban Fellowship (4)
  • Peace Corps (2), Costa Rica
  • Steppingstone Foundation, Boston
  • Teach for America (4), Chicago, Houston, New York City, Mississippi Delta
  • World Teach, Guyana
Find Jobs in Their Chosen Field:
  • Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi UFJ Group, Loan Administrator/Specialist
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Researcher
  • The City College of New York, Skadden, Arps Honors Program in Legal Studies, Associate Director
  • Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility, Assistant Director, Administration
  • Columbia University, Assistant Director, Columbia College Alumni Affairs & Development
  • Columbia University, International Programs for AIDS Care and Treatment
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, Research Associate, Europe and Central Asia
  • City University of New York, International Admissions Evaluator
  • Doctors of the World, Russia and NIS Program Associate
  • Echoing Green, Special Assistant to President
  • Edelman, Senior Account Executive, Public Affairs, and Corporate Responsibilty
  • Facing History and Ourselves, Development Assistant
  • Hagerty Consulting, Associate
  • Herricks Middle School, Mathematics Teacher
  • Information Week, Associate Editor/Reporter
  • Institute of International Education (2), Senior Program Administrator, Program Officer
  • Intermediate School 125, New York City Board of Education, Teacher of English
  • International Center for Transitional Justice, Communications Assistant
  • Journyx, Marketing & Publications Editor
  • Legal Aid Society, Development Coordinator
  • Marie Belle Chocolates, Manager
  • MCC Theatre Marketing, Assistant
  • Medical Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Medical Health and Research Association, Manager of Information Systems and Technology
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art, Assistant to the Controller
  • Millbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, Legal Assistant
  • Mount Sinai Hospital, Bilingual Social Worker
  • New York City Board of Education, Fifth Grade Teacher, PS 1, Brooklyn
  • New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Press Associate
  • New York City Office of Emergency, CERT Consultant
  • Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, Special Assistant to the Deputy Manhattan Borough President and the Senior Advisor
  • Office of City Councilman Leroy Comrie, Director of Legislative and Budget Affairs
  • PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Associate
  • Queens College, Coordinator of Special Advising
  • Quinn and Company, Account Executive
  • Richter and Ratner Contracting Corporation, Assistant Project Manager
  • Rubin Museum of Art, Publications Associate
  • Safe Homes Project, Social Worker
  • Social Science Research Council, Program Assistant
  • Vision Group Property Management, Portfolio Manager
  • Wireless Generation Sales Associate
  • World Bank, Junior Professional Associate
  • Year Up New York City, Events and Grants Coordinator

    • Partial list of current employers and titles

 
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