Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

 

The Thomas J. Wat­son Fel­low­ship is a one-year grant for pur­pose­ful, inde­pen­dent explo­ration out­side the Unit­ed States, award­ed to grad­u­at­ing seniors nom­i­nat­ed by one of 41 part­ner insti­tu­tions. 

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The fellowship is a rare window after college and pre-career to engage your deepest interest on a global scale. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them 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.

 

Photographing Soccer: Community and Identity Across The World

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While traveling around the world, I immersed myself in various soccer communities to learn, photograph, document, and share the social constructs, stories and experiences that exemplify soccer’s role in unifying fans and players. Throughout my experience, I collaborated with various professional soccer clubs, scouts, photographers, journalists, non-profit organizations and researchers to gain a global perspective of soccer’s impact on players, fan groups, and national identity all while developing foreign language skills. The journey brought me to some of the most beautiful and untouched areas of the world while introducing me to incredible people across the countries: Thailand, Senegal, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Qatar. Within 13 months, I photographed my first professional sporting event in Chiang Mai, Thailand before becoming an accredited FIFA photographer and representing the United States Men's National Team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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