By Jai McDonald ’27
As first-year students and sophomores, the idea of internships can be scary. We ask ourselves: How do I apply for internships? Where do I find internships? We are fresh to the career sphere, and it can be tough doing it on your own. But there are resources out there for us. People who want to help us jumpstart our futures.
One of these resources is the Jeanette K. Watson Fellowship. You have seen the posters around campus, or gotten an email or two, but what is it? The Jeanette K. Watson Fellowship is a cohort-based program of fifteen first-year students or sophomores from twelve different schools around NYC. They are provided with three paid summer internships – the first being $7,500, the second $9,000, and the third $10,000 – along with yearlong seminars and career counseling. The J.K. Fellowship is a part of the larger Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, the Father of IBM. This is truly an amazing opportunity for students, but the competitive nature can deter students.
I interviewed Professor William Offutt, the Watson advisor here at Pace, and, previous applicant and current fellow, Yara Ammar (‘26) to shed light on the application process and how to get started.
My conversation with Prof. Offutt was enlightening, particularly about the kinds of people Watson is looking for. When asked, Prof. Offutt responded, “They are looking for people with a public-spirited interest. […] interested in not mere career training, but interested in doing things for the public good that could change themselves or change others.” Many students have an extremely broad range of interests. They may have a particular field they would like to study, but they find themselves interested in many things, specifically those that involve interacting with others. If that describes your interests, then this is for you. This is the chance to do exactly that. To get, as Prof. Offutt puts it, “connection for their own interest and talents with a wide variety of opportunity.”
The best part about it is how helpful Pace is with the entire process. When asked about the ways Pace specifically helps students along the application process, this is what Prof. Offutt had to say:
Well, we give them, starting on October twenty-third with the information session, a series of help in writing the essays, writing the application, preparing for Watson interviews. We are allowed to nominate four students; they have to have at least a full two years left at Pace. We have writing seminars, and samples, and all of these sorts of things to assist people with doing the application. I and other faculty work with students to perfect their interview skills. So, the four people we nominate usually come from a group of about eight to ten people who complete the application in any given year. We assist them in producing the best possible application that gives them the best chance to win.
Pace is truly a guiding force along the Watson application process. This was especially evident when speaking to current sophomore Yara Ammar. Yara is a current Watson Fellow, and interned at the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC, in Entertainment Partnerships. Yara describes the application process as going “very smoothly.” She said:
The day that it was decided, 8 o’clock in the morning, I get an email that was like, “sorry, no you didn’t get it.” And then, one of the people dropped out and I was like the next person. So, 8 o’clock that night Bill emailed me and was like, “Do you want it?” And I was like, “Yeah. I’m gonna go interview for this.” I’m not gonna say no. So then, I went into the Watson office, which is the Woolworth building, and I sat in front of like a long table. There were like 6 people, and they were very scary, but they were nice people. I interviewed, and I had to sit there and write an essay. I had like 30 minutes to sit and write about something that I was passionate about. And that was it. […] And then, it was like a very quick turnaround. I found out April, and I had to get all my internship stuff and like interview for all the possible internships in the span of like a month. And then I just started June 5. It was quick.
Through Yara’s story, we can see how there is nothing stopping anyone from applying. As Yara says, “Just do it.” The tools are handed to you to make do with it in whatever way you’d like. One piece of advice to applicants that Yara gave was, “The qualities of a Watson fellow is like high standards, ambition, openness, leadership, willingness to take feedback, working in groups, we can all have that. That’s not something physically limits us. As long as you want it, you can have it.” Anyone can apply to become a Watson Fellow, but determination and initiative are what make a Watson Fellow.
The Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship is a phenomenal opportunity for first-year students and sophomores. Just being associated with Thomas K. Watson provides Fellows with networking opportunities unlike any other. “You are an adult with adult possibilities, and they want to nurture that. (Prof. Offutt)”
If the Watson Fellowship seems of interest to you, apply! As Professor Offutt said, there is a Watson Fellowship informational session available for students on October 23, 2023. This is an excellent opportunity for those interested to get started on the process. It is also helpful for those who are not entirely sold on the idea to really gather information and make their decision. For more information on the Jeanette K. Watson Fellowship, visit Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship | Watson Foundation or keep an eye out on the Pforzheimer social media accounts for Watson posts in the coming weeks.