Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Informational Video Transcript

On screen: waves crash into the shore. Voice over begins over shots of waves.

Julie Taymor, Watson Fellow and Film and Theater Director:

Well to me, risk is about the most important word in the life of everybody, but it's got to be a yearning inside of you. So it's not just the subject matter of each Watson fellow. It's the fact that they're far away from home. Their friends and support system have to be the people around them in that place at that time.

On screen: we see a young man interacting with other young people on soccer and rugby pitches in India

Harry Johnson, Watson Fellow (off-camera):

Then we got the Jungle Crows, and I wanted to have a —

Harry Johnson, Watson Fellow (on-camera:

So the Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant to leave the United States, to imagine your whole self and to blend your deepest interest with your values and aspirations on a truly global scale.

On Screen: a young woman interacts with a radio host in South America.

Julia Thomas:

I've never done anything of this scale before. I've become more confident and trusting myself and my own instincts.

On screen: We see a young man walking through a farm.

Sam Perkins:

Pretty exciting. I don't know what to expect, and I think that's the best part about it. I think it'll lead to questions I never would've considered.

On screen: another young man, Tomal, plays music in Morocco.

Tomal Hossain:

This fellowship, at first, it was about finding the right answer, and now it's evolved to teaching you about yourself.

On Screen: Chris Kasabach sits in front of the camera to explain the Watson.

Chris Kasabach, Watson Foundation Executive Director:

Watson fellows are leaders in every field, who provide support as well as inspiration.

Liz Ogbu, Watson Fellow at a TED talk:

How to not let those burdens paralyze us from being able to move forward, that this is part of the simultaneity of our existence.

John Payton, Watson Fellow:

From this vantage point, it's quite clear that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and we have a ways to go.

Gloria Borger, Watson Fellow on CNN:

I take risks every day. After being a Watson, I understood that risk is something you want to take. It trained me to be independent and to pursue what I believe to be correct and accurate and important.

Howard Rosenbaum, Watson Fellow, Director WCS:

Here I am, 21 years old. I'm leading the Western Australian Museum's Whale Surveys. I mean, this is like a dream come true.

Julie Taymor, Watson Fellow:

My Watson fellowship took me to Japan, took me to Indonesia, took me to Eastern Europe. I've been given a moment in my life right after college, before you move on to what you think you're going to do for the rest of your life.

Sam Perkins:

I'd never spent this kind of time away from home before. I feel more comfortable than ever starting off fresh in a new place.

Zakiyya Ashe, Watson Fellow:

You should really go out and experience life, especially all the different characters. I'm on a path to add new and diverse voices into the animation industry.

Harry Johnson, having a conversation with young women in India:

[conversation in foreign language]— walk, walk, walk. That's your father.

Harry Johnson, continues, off camera:

After 17 years of being in the classroom each fall, it was the chance of a lifetime to put all the different pieces of myself together on my own terms.

Chris Kasabach:

Over that year of self-direction, pursuing your deepest interests, you are taking a risk on the things you care most about and by doing that, you gain confidence and perspective that lasts a lifetime.

Julie Taymor:

That's transformation by fire, and I think that everybody who's had a Watson must have had that moment.

Harry, speaking to a cab driver:

There's no noise, where are the horns at?

Julia Thomas:

When I think about my place in the world, I see myself now in a much bigger way. I feel like I can engage and build relationships anywhere.

Zakiyya Ashe:

The Watson really challenges you in terms of what you think you can and can't do.

Harry Johnson:

It taught me how to think critically about the world, not what to think, but just not take thing at face value. I'm a totally different person.

Julie Taymor:

Everything that I experienced there is here. You are the Watson experience for the rest of your life.

Watson Fellowship Logo appears (the word “Watson” in black on white text).