J.K. Watson Fellowship

FELLOWS, CLASS OF 2013

Victoria Anne Abolencia, Long Island University
Victoria Abolencia is a second year student majoring in biochemistry at Long Island University, with the goal of becoming a practitioner of naturopathic medicine. Victoria has been active in many of the organizations on the LIU Brooklyn campus. She is a tutor at both the Academic Reinforcement Center and the Writing Center in English and writing. Victoria has also been selected for a QUEST (Quality Undergraduate Expanded Science Training) scholarship and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. Among all these activities, she saw a lack of support for the LGBTQ community at LIU and, with a group of students, founded the Queer Straight Alliance. A native of New York, she is a graduate of St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, and speaks both English and Tagalog. Victoria spent her first Watson summer at the Beth Israel Cancer Center .

Kyle Athayde, Hunter College
A second year Macaulay Honors student at Hunter College, Kyle Athayde has achieved much. While he was in elementary school, he set up a chess club which went on to win third at the National Championships. At the age of 12, Kyle saw the need to support young people in the NYC public school system and founded a non-profit, Children Highlight Action Necessary for Growth and Education (C.H,A.N.G.E.) to aid the development of academic skills in underprivileged children in Harlem. He also had the privilege of playing chess against Gary Kasparov. Kyle attended secondary school at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. With broad interests in English, political science and finance, Kyle aspires to work in politics, writing or education. The Conference Board hosted Kyle for his first summer as a Watson Fellow.

Esthena Brutten, Brooklyn College
Esthena Brutten grew up in Brooklyn where she has worked and volunteered. She is now in her second year at Brooklyn College. While she was In high school she participated in the “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition in which Esthena’s team won the chance to be the New York State representatives at the national final in Washington D.C. For the past year, she has been an active participant in the Brooklyn College Peer Mentoring Program, where she works with freshmen at the college. She leads discussions on topics such as financial aid, plagiarism and effective study skills. Esthena has a passion for musicals and aims to pursue a career in childhood education or psychology. She is a graduate of Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn. She worked with the Martina Arroyo Foundation last summer.

Michelle Chan, Queens College
In her second year at Queens College, Michelle Chan is majoring in English with aspirations to become a public interest lawyer. She spent the summer of 2010 working on Project AHEAD to develop and implement a community health initiative among local school age children in Chinatown. It was through this experience that Michelle was introduced to the field of public interest law. Her own research led to her realization she had a particular interest in womens' rights. Fluent in English and Cantonese, Michelle managed the boys’ gymnastics team at the Bronx High School of Science from which she was graduated. Michelle's first Watson internship was at the Gotham Gazette,.

Matthew Corridoni, Marymount Manhattan College
Born in Pittsburgh, Matthew Corridoni moved to New York to attend Marymount Manhattan College. In his second year, Matthew is majoring in political science with a minor in theatre. Matthew is active at Marymount, participating in the Student Political Association, is a Defense Attorney for the Mock Trial Team and acts as Press Secretary for the International Studies Club. Matthew graduated from Saltsburg Middle-High School in Saltsburg, PA where, following his graduation, he directed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Since coming to New York, Matthew has also been involved in Gilda’s Club, a wellness center founded in Gilda Radner’s memory, a place for people affected by cancer to come together and heal through laughter. Matthew worked at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. this summer.

Agnieszka Gugala, Hunter College
Agnieszka Gugala is considering a career as either a professor, a mathematician, or an architect. A first year student at Hunter College, she is considering majoring in math, psychology, art or political science. This wide range of interests also demonstrates itself in the many extracurricular activities in which Agnieszka iparticipates. She volunteers weekly at a Polish supplementary school, tutors math at East Side Community High School, and was artistic director at Stuyvesant High School of which she is a graduate. In addition she volunteered at the Narrows Community Theatre, assisting in the building of the set for Les Miserables. A native New Yorker, Agnieszka is fluent in English and Polish. Echoing Green hosted Angieszka for her first summer as a Watson Fellow.

Elizabeth Kelman, The City College of New York
A pre-medical student at the City College of New York and the Macaulay Honors College, Elizabeth Kelman aspires to a career in medicine, public health, public policy advocacy, and/ or political activism. Elizabeth has a strong interest in urban gardening as well as environmental issues. She helped organize the City Agriculture Network and a community kitchen garden at CCNY. Prior to becoming a JK Watson Fellow, she was an education/policy intern at Earth Day Network, an environmental not-for-profit organization in Washington, DC. While in high school, she also volunteered for six weeks in Mexico at a community development project involving tree-planting. A New York native, Elizabeth attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. Elizabeth spent her first Watson summer at the Beth Israel Cancer Center 's west side site.

Stephanie Kozofsky, Pace University
Stephanie Kozofsky is in her second year at Pace University’s Manhattan campus. A graduate of Hampton Bays High School in Hampton Bays, NY, she is an English Literature major, minoring in criminal justice and Spanish. Entirely self-supporting while in college, Stephanie works very hard as a nanny, as an assistant in a Pace office, and has also worked summers at a tennis club and a restaurant. Last summer she pursued an exciting opportunity to travel to Greece and work as an English language teacher. She is an active student leader as president of her dormitory council and secretary of the Criminal Justice Society. She is thinking of a career either as an English teacher, a lawyer, or a US Senator. The New-York Historical Society hosted Stephanie for her first Watson summer.

Nicholas Macaluso, The City College of New York
An engineering major, Nicholas Macaluso understands the need for his skills in the non-profit sector. In his first year at City College of New York as a Macaulay Honors scholar, Nicholas has already set his long term goals on working as an engineer for a not-for-profit or non-governmental humanitarian organization. Nicholas is a graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn and used last summer as an opportunity to learn woodworking and carpentry. Interested in Yoga and martial arts, he is also an accomplished student of Capoeira, having studied since the age of nine and promoted to instructor by the time he was 15 years old. Nicholas worked with the IIE Global Leaders Program. last summer.

Katelyn McQuater, Brooklyn College
A Macaulay Honors College student at Brooklyn College, Katelyn McQuater hails from Michigan. Interested both in creative writing and Spanish literature, she looks forward to a career involving the world of writing, either as a nature and travel writer, a senior editor at a publishing house, or a television script writer. Prior to becoming a JK Watson Fellow, she won a much coveted editorial internship at Penguin Books, one of forty interns chosen out of 2,400 applicants. At Brooklyn College she is an active leader serving both on the Macaulay Scholars Council and an Ambassador for the Brooklyn College Peer Mentor. She worked last summer at the Wildlife Conservation Society,.

Victoria Measles, Pace University
A graduate of the public high school in Torrington, CT, Victoria Measles is now a second-year student at Pace University in Manhattan, where she is planning to major in gender and women’s studies and political science. She was pleased to attend the 2011 United Nations Conference on the Status of Women, participating in the Working Group of the Girls pre-conference. She is an active student leader at Pace where she organizes and facilitates weekly “Taboo Talks,” where students are encouraged to share perspectives on gender, sexuality and related topics. While in high school and during the summers she has worked in a coffee shop in Connecticut to help support herself and her family. Her first Watson internship was at the The Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund .

Sophia Perlaza, Lehman College
Born and raised on Long Island, Sophia Perlaza graduated from North Babylon High School and now attends Lehman College as a second-year student. Hoping to complete a double major in Italian and political science, Sophia has been an active student in both high school and college. At Lehman she worked to increase the student activity fee in hopes of developing a more vibrant extracurricular life for Lehman students. She has also been an active volunteer at “We Are New York,” teaching English as a second language to new immigrants in the city. Not yet certain of what she wishes to do professionally, she is considering the fields of law and English-as-a-second language teaching. Sophia interned with DonorsChoose. for her first Watson summer.

Jose Esteban Rodriguez-Alverio, The City College of New York
José Esteban Rodriquez-Alverio is a first-year undergraduate at the City College of New York, and a graduate of Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn. He was born in Puerto Rico. Early on in high school, he developed a strong interest in theatre and film, participating in the All Stars Program “Youth on Stage” and the “Young Producers” projects. He also participated in the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Young Film Critics program, where he got his reviews published in their literary journals. While studying full time at CCNY Esteban supports himself working as an usher at the New Victory Theatre in Manhattan. Not surprisingly, he is hoping to major in theatre, film or political science while at City College. The Wildlife Conservation Society, was the site of Esteban's first Watson internship.

	About The Fellowship
	How to Apply
	Our Current Fellows
	About Us
	FAQ
	Photo Gallery
	Links
	Alumni Directory