SPORTS

 

Courtesy of College Communications

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Natalie Connell ’19 and Kyla Roland ’19, both Davidson scholar athletes, have been awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship as part of 51st TJWF class. Roland and Connell were among 40 fellows chosen from six countries and 18 states.

Connell, who reigns Lancaster, Pa. and was a senior team captain this past Fall, played for the Davidson women’s soccer team. She is majoring in biology. Connell becomes the second women’s soccer player in the past three years to earn the honor, joining Kate Joss who earned Watson Fellowship in 2017. Connell was an Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team member this past Fall.

Fellows will travel to 76 countries exploring topics ranging from artificial intelligence to music subcultures; from food insecurity to island innovation; from neonatal to end-of-life care.

“Everyone associated with our program is very happy for Natalie,” said head women’s soccer coach Adam Denton. “She embodies what our scholar athletes can achieve here at Davidson both on and off the field.”

Statement from Connell: “We have yet to understand how to care for the dying in a way that empowers patients and preserves quality of life towards the very end. Fueled by my personal experiences with end-of-life care, I will explore how different cultures amidst various religious contexts approach death, dying, and end-of-life care. I will learn from experienced doctors, professors, nurses, and non-profit organizations with unique ventures into end-of-life care in order to broaden and deepen my own understanding of what it means to die a good death.”

Connell’s project is titled Perspectives on End-of-Life Care and she will travel to Ecuador, Netherlands, Jordan, India and Vietnam.

Check out a little more on Connell’s honor and what her plans are by clicking here.

THE THOMAS J. WATSON FELLOWSHIP
The 51st Class of Thomas J. Watson Fellows come from six countries and 18 states. Fellows will travel to 76 countries exploring topics ranging from artificial intelligence to music subcultures; from food insecurity to island innovation; from neonatal to end-of-life care.

Watson Fellowships allow scholars to pursue independent research projects while traveling for a year outside the United States after graduation. Fellows receive $30,000 for 12 months of travel, and college loan assistance as required.

The children of Thomas J. Watson Sr., the founder of International Business Machines Corp., and his wife, Jeannette K. Watson, established the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program in 1968 to honor their parents’ long-standing interest in education and world affairs. In its 43-year history, more than 2,800 people have embarked on a Watson Year, which 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 influencers in their fields including CEOs of major corporations, college presidents, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar Award winners, Pulitzer Prize awardees, artists, diplomats, doctors, faculty, journalists, lawyers, politicians, researchers and inspiring leaders around the world.