The 2025 Thomas J. Watson Fellows

Meet the Fellows

Founded in 1968, the Watson is a rare window of time after college and pre-career for promising undergraduates to engage their deepest interests on a world scale. Chosen from select American colleges, fellows conceive original projects, engage them independently outside of the United States for one year and embrace the ensuing journey. They decide where to go, who to meet and when to change course. The program produces a year of personal insight, perspective and confidence that contributes deeply to fellows’ becoming more humane and effective leaders in the world community.

The fellows come from 12 countries and 24 states. They traveled to 85 countries exploring topics ranging from fiber arts under climate change to design cultures; from pastoralism to urban climate resilience; from public art to innovation in disability communities. These are their journeys.