Center For International Education

Thom Price ’96 is one of my favorite characters in the universe of Berea Watson fellows. The first time I heard about the guy who spent a year building gondolas in Venice was the day I learned the true meaning of jealousy. I didn’t know then that Thom had moved back to Berea a decade after his Watson year, and that I would soon find myself eating delicious tagliatelle al tartufo at his house and hearing all about his Italian adventures.

Born and raised in southern Appalachia, Thom designed his own independent major and graduated from Berea College with a degree in Appalachian studies. He wouldn’t let the obligations of formal education stay in the way of his learning, though. After his sophomore year, Thom decided to take time off from college and move to Maine, where he would start learning how to build traditional wooden boats. Before coming back to Berea, he also interned at a craft school in Asheville, which fermented his ambition to become a boat builder and fine woodworker.

During his Watson year, Thom was an apprentice of maestro Daniele Bonaldo’s—one of the only five remaining boatbuilding masters in Venice. Thom not only learned about the ancient tradition of gondola building, but he also discovered a new interest for languages, classical art and history, all while indulging in the pleasures of living in the City of Masks. “There are some very wealthy people in the world and they all come to Venice sooner or later: if you have a good story to tell, like being a gondola builder, they invite you to parties. If you behave, they keep inviting you back”, Thom added.

Thom’s future travel plans definitely include Venice—where he occasionally stops for a nostalgic café corretto with his old maestro—and Italy in general, where he goes to be with the in-laws. He and his husband Paolo plan to visit Spain and Portugal as well: their “no-family get-away”, as he described it.

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, named after the founder of International Business Machines (IBM), offers graduating college seniors of “unusual promise” the opportunity to engage in one year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States. Its goals are to enhance the capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership, and to foster humane and effective participation in the world community—in other words, to develop future leaders who are self-reflective, well-informed, mindful citizens of the world. Only 40 institutions nationwide are allowed to nominate candidates for this esteemed prize. Berea College is the only school in Kentucky from which The Watson Fellowship accepts nominations. Each Watson Fellow is awarded $30,000 to pursue their international project.

Find more information on how to apply for the Watson Fellowship.

Applications due on Sept. 15th, 2015.

To make a long story short, Berea’s 2014 Thomas J. Watson fellow Dylan Hunziker has had a heck of a year! Dylan is now in Kyrgyzstan—after having graced Taiwan, Peru and Italy with his good looks and wits—, exploring the linguistic developments of Chinese diaspora communities. With a B.A. in Sociology in hands, Dylan set out in a journey of self-discovery and independent exploration, pursuing a project he had always been passionate about.

During his Watson year, Dylan has become very self-aware and aware of his surroundings. “I always thought of myself as sort of a misanthrope, but… nope, turns out I’m obsessed with people”, he told me. Dylan has had first-hand contact with several Chinese migrant communities around the globe, and has learned about their adaption to new locations—and how that’s shaped by language—, and also about their cultures and history. Dylan has also made personal connections with fascinating people.

My very first day in Taitung, Taiwan, I saw this mean looking woman inside the local Daoist temple, and for some reason I felt compelled to talk to her. I said to myself ‘Dylan, this year is about being brave’, so I sucked up my fear and asked her if she knew where I could get my fortune told. Little did I know she was the head of the Taodong Iching Research Association. In a few short days we became close friends, and I went to her house to study with her almost every day for two months… Her bravery, kindness and mysticism stayed with me the whole year and probably will my whole life.

A Watson year is indeed about bravery. It is also about adaptability, independence and passion. The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, named after the founder of International Business Machines (IBM), offers graduating college seniors of “unusual promise” the opportunity to engage in one year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States. Its goals are to enhance the capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership, and to foster humane and effective participation in the world community—in other words, to develop future leaders who are self-reflective, well-informed, mindful citizens of the world. Only 40 institutions nationwide are allowed to nominate candidates for this esteemed prize. Berea College is the only school in Kentucky from which The Watson Fellowship accepts nominations. Each Watson Fellow is awarded $30,000 to pursue their international project.

Find information and apply for the Watson Fellowship.
Applications due on Sept. 15^th, 2015.

New York, New York – Continuing its tradition of providing transformational international exposure and life-changing opportunities to promising students, today the Watson Foundation is proud to announce its 45^th class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows. The Watson provides unparalleled exploration for forty graduating college seniors in any field. Students conceive a dream-year integrating their unique experience, proven skills and passion and receive support for a year of independent study on an international scale.

Loreal Bell, a Berea College English major with a communications minor, has been selected as a 2013 Thomas J. Watson Fellow with the project, “Prisoner of Words: A Look into Feminist Euro Hip Hop Artists.” She expects to travel to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden using interviews and documentary production as a tool for connecting with masculine women from the LGBTQ community who are involved in Hip hop culture. “Hip Hop is an artistic expression which often emphasizes male dominance and female oppression, but that doesn’t take the art form away from women,” Loreal explains.

Loreal—a  hip hop artist herself—had this to say about her selection: “The opportunity to travel and live out a dream feels so surreal and exciting at the same time. It is a representation of how progress is tangible despite obstacles.” She is looking forward to learning from hip hop artists who do break dancing, graffiti art, and disc jockeying as well as emceeing.

This year’s class comes from eight countries and fourteen states. They’ll traverse 75 countries exploring topics from coastal disasters to synthetic biology; from music therapy to the ethics of extinction; from digital landscapes to the global shark trade; from youth criminalization to independent film making. “This year’s fellows are a constellation of remarkable students whose ideas cross as many disciplines as national borders. For 45 years, this has been the hallmark of the Watson – a boundless year of purposeful, independent discovery that forever shapes a fellow’s view of themselves and the world around them,” said Chris Kasabach, Director of the Watson Foundation.

Watson awardees come from select private liberal arts colleges and universities across the United States. Only 40 institutions can nominate students for the Watson Fellowship, and each institution carries out preliminary application reviews and nominee selections.  Berea College is one of those 40 institutions, and the only one in the state of Kentucky.  The Francis and Louise Hutchins Center for International Education there administers the process.

From over 700 candidates, 148 finalists were nominated to compete on the national level from which 40 were selected. Each fellow receives $25,000 for twelve-months of travel, college loan assistance as applicable, and an insurance allowance.

About the Thomas J. Watson Foundation

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 (IBM). In 1968, in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s long-standing interest in education and world affairs, their children decided that the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program should constitute a major activity of the Foundation.

About the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

Over 2,700 “Watsons” have been named since the fellowship’s founding in 1968. A Watson Year provides fellows with an opportunity to test their aspirations, abilities and perseverance through a personal project that is cultivated on an international scale. Watson Fellows have gone on to become international leaders in their fields including CEOs of major corporations, college presidents, MacArthur “genius” grant recipients, diplomats, artists, lawyers, doctors, faculty, journalists, and many renowned researchers and innovators.

#WatsonWednesday

Jacqueline Sprague of ABC36 (WTVQ) in Lexington interviewed Dr. Richard Cahill, Director of International Education, about the current political situation in Egypt.  Video and a write-up of the interview are available at wtvq.com.

The US Department of State has announced an increase in fees for US Passport Books, US Passport Cards and other passport-related services. Effective 13 July 2010, the application fee for a first-time or renewal passport will be $110 (up from $75), although there is no change to the acceptance fee ($25) for applications submitted in person. In addition, DoS is implementing a fee of $82 to add pages to an existing passport. Get your application.

Applications for a new US Passport (Form DS-11) are available at the Center for International Education, 207 Woods-Penniman. Applicants who are eligible to renew by mail (using Form DS-82) may obtain the application online at travel.state.gov