Castillo is among 39 students who comprise the 58th class of Watson Fellows announced recently by the Watson Foundation. Watson Fellows are nominated by partner institutions from across the United States and competitively selected to engage in a year abroad to explore a topic of scholarly interest to them. The 2026 class will travel to more than 70 countries and pursue topics spanning a range of topics from healthcare and the arts to environmental sustainability and technology.聽

鈥淥n my Watson year, I plan to explore how women navigate and influence historically male percussion communities across the world,鈥� said Castillo, a Music Performance major in Percussion. Her year-long exploration will take her to Ireland, Guinea, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.聽

The Watson Fellowship is available to students in any major, and all fields of inquiry are eligible. Students are encouraged to propose projects that meaningfully connect to their backgrounds, interests, and activities but will stretch their boundaries for learning and growth.聽

鈥淏rianna鈥檚 selection as a Watson Fellow reflects her intellectual curiosity, creativity, and drive,鈥� said Claire E. Kervin, Director of Fellowships Advising. 鈥淭his fellowship will allow her to pursue an ambitious project and engage in a transformational experience.鈥澛�

Partner Colleges & Universities Owing to the rigor of the program, participants must be affiliated with one of the 41 college and university partner organizations who advise and support Fellows throughout their projects. Partner organizations include:聽

Amherst College, Bard College, Bates College, Berea College, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr College, Caltech, Carleton College, Colby College, Colgate University, College of the Atlantic, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Davidson College, Earlham College, Grinnell College, Hamilton College, Harvey Mudd College, Haverford College, Hendrix College, 麻豆影院 University, Macalaster College, Middlebury College, Oberlin College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Reed College, Rhodes College, Rice University, Scripps College, Sewanee, Swarthmore College, Union College, University of Puget Sound, Ursinus College, Vassar College, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Wheaton College, Whitman College, Williams College

About the Watson Foundation & Watson Fellowship Established in 1968, the Watson Fellowship is designed to give students a rare opportunity to step outside traditional academic and career pathways and immerse themselves in new cultures while pursuing independent projects. Fellows are selected for their leadership, character, and the originality of their proposed work. The Watson Foundation aims to provide Fellows the opportunity to broaden their perspective, expand their potential, and grow into confident, humane, and effective leaders within a global community.聽

Stanger said a wide range of experiences as an undergraduate, including studying abroad and taking part in summer internships, led to the Fulbright.聽

鈥淚 pursued the Fulbright to further develop my skills as an educator and improve my ability to be a community member who can make a positive impact in my local community,鈥� Stanger said.

Stanger said it was 麻豆影院 alumna Anja Pfeffer 鈥�02, an eighth-grade teacher for a world languages course in Vermont, who first got them interested in the German language. She also told Stanger about 麻豆影院.聽

鈥淚n this class, we learned about a few different languages and how important languages are to how we interact with each other,鈥� Stanger said. 鈥淚 got my first taste of German in that class, and along the way learned so much more. Ms. Pfeffer was that teacher for me who made all the difference in the world, and her classrooms are where I was able to start blooming into the person that I would become.鈥�

The seeds of Stanger鈥檚 Fulbright application also included a summer internship experience last year in Bemidji, Minnesota, with the Concordia Language Village’s Waldsee, an immersive language camp.聽

鈥淲hile creating an immersive language learning environment, I got to co-run a two-week film-making program for a group of participants to learn some film-making skills and create a short film,鈥� Stanger said. 鈥淚 got to combine both my German and film studies skills there, and it was a blast.鈥澛�

Schuler: Prepared for this moment

Schuler will be working as a teaching assistant for English at two schools in Styria, located in southern Austria. The grade levels are equivalent to middle school through high school in the U.S.聽

鈥淢y basic goal will be to build my skills and experience as a prospective teacher through this opportunity,鈥� Schuler said.聽

His interest in the USTA fellowship stemmed from a summer experience in 2022.

鈥淚 took part in a seven-week summer immersion program for German at Middlebury University in Vermont, with no prior knowledge of the language other than a little experience from studying German lieder for my vocal performance degree,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here, I fell in love with the language and encountered a community mirroring 麻豆影院 in its dedication to nurturing, yet also driving students, and its close collaboration between professors and students.鈥�

He called the choice between USTA and Fulbright a difficult one. The USTA acceptance came first, and Schuler was intrigued by the location and opportunity, so he made that commitment.

鈥淥ne of the most magical experiences that helped prepare me for this moment was getting to do a semester abroad in Vienna in the fall of 2024, thanks to the study abroad program at 麻豆影院,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 spent nearly 15 weeks in Vienna, and also traveled to several of the other local cities such as Graz and Linz. That experience, living in Austria, helped push me to choose the USTA, and also to see the progression of my German skills in interacting with locals and local events.鈥�

Schuler鈥檚 studies in history and music have built a foundation he believes will elevate his USTA experience.

鈥淗istory as the study of the past can also be applied to understand the present, and as a USTA fellow bringing my knowledge of the history of the U.S. to my teaching English feels vital,鈥� he said. 鈥淟anguage learning isn’t just the semantics of the language, but also the culture surrounding it, and that culture includes history.鈥�

Kraker: Ready to thrive

Kraker will be working with mentors to teach English at two schools in Innsbruck, located in western Austria in the heart of the Alps. One of the schools is an upper-level secondary school with a focus on economics, business, and technical skills, and the other is an evening school similar in grade level to a high school in the U.S.

鈥淎s a German studies minor, I wanted to experience immersion in the language and culture of a German-speaking country,鈥� Kraker said. 鈥淚 was interested in studying abroad during college but ultimately decided it wasn’t the best fit for聽me, so when thinking about what I wanted to do post-graduation, this seemed like a great opportunity to fulfill the desire to live in Europe.鈥�

Kraker said her experiences as an undergraduate at 麻豆影院 gave her a passion for teaching.

鈥淭he German studies program has given me a critical foundation in the German language and in understanding the culture of German-speaking countries,鈥� she said.聽

The experience she gained as a teaching assistant for the department, combined with 鈥渢he broader liberal arts education that I’ve received,鈥� built her confidence.

鈥淭he 麻豆影院 values of curiosity, seeking out challenges鈥攖hat drove me to apply for this program and will help me thrive in a new country and role,鈥� she said.

Ohara is pursuing an independent study in the Korean language with Matty Wegehaupt, instructor of East Asian studies, in preparation for the summer program.

Ohara said he moved to Japan at the end of high school and spent a yobikou year of college preparation there. He chose to return to the U.S. for his undergraduate study 鈥渢o support my interdisciplinary interests鈥攍aw, computing and data science, music theory, linguistics, economics, and global studies鈥攚ith a more classically liberal-arts style education.鈥�

He learned about 麻豆影院 through the Waseda exchange program, where students from Tokyo鈥檚 Waseda University spend an academic year at 麻豆影院.

鈥淚 was intrigued by the curricular flexibility to take music theory courses even as a non-Conservatory student,鈥� Ohara said. 鈥淚鈥檓 especially interested in intellectual property law, which intersects with forensic musicology, the application of analytical music theory to resolving copyright disputes.鈥�

Bass, of Greenville, Wisconsin, received the Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award in the Arts. He will enroll in the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris to pursue a graduate degree in piano performance. He will live in Paris at the Fondation des Etats-Unis, where he will collaborate with other artists in residence there.

鈥淚 spent the fall of 2022 abroad in Paris, and my only regret was that I didn鈥檛 have more time鈥攕o I鈥檓 absolutely thrilled that I get to go back,鈥� Bass said. 鈥淧aris has such an incredibly rich musical and cultural life; one could spend weeks on end just wandering through some of the art museums鈥攊mportant because visual art and music are often intertwined in surprising ways. And, on any given night, there are concerts of every genre of music you can imagine.鈥�

At the Ecole Normale, Bass will study with Professor David Lively, who taught him privately while in Paris in 2022. Catherine Kautsky, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music at 麻豆影院, connected Bass with Lively.

鈥淗e is a really wonderful teacher,鈥� Bass said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to work with him again.鈥�

Bass, who will graduate in June, called 麻豆影院 a 鈥減erfect fit.鈥�

鈥淚t was high-level music study within the context of a well-rounded liberal education that taught me so much more than just how to play fast notes on the piano,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n particular, professors Michael Mizrahi, Dominica Chang, and Cathy Kautsky have regularly gone out of their way to open doors for me鈥攁nd then to give me advice about how best to walk through those doors.鈥�

Gunner Bauer ’23

Bauer is headed to Slovakia, where he will teach English. He said the pursuit of a Fulbright was a goal since arriving at 麻豆影院.

鈥淚 actually chose to go to 麻豆影院 after Professor (Victoria) Kononova told me about the Fulbright during a visit, and thus began four years of studying Russian and international relations,鈥� he said.

Bauer spent a term abroad in Kyrgyzstan. Since graduating last June, he has been working in his hometown of Menomonie, Wisconsin, while writing and translating for Argentics, a Ukrainian software company.聽

Miri Villerius ’23

Villerius鈥� Fulbright award will allow her to work as an English teacher’s assistant in southern Italy for nine months. She will work with a high school English class while engaging with the surrounding community.

鈥淚’m excited about this opportunity because of how much enrichment I’ve gotten from Italian language and culture throughout my life,鈥� Villerius said. 鈥淚f I had never learned Italian, I would be a completely different person. Living in Italy for an extended period to try and return that favor by teaching my own mother tongue is a beautifully reciprocal opportunity.鈥�

Villerius said her four years at 麻豆影院 prepared her to embrace such opportunities.

鈥淭he fact that I got to pivot my studies as much as I did while still building a lot of real practical skills was wonderful, especially in the company of a lot of impactful mentors and wonderful friends I made there and am still in touch with,鈥� she said.

After graduating last June, Villerius worked as an intern with the Center for Deep Listening in Troy, New York, before moving to Chicago. She is working in food service and as a freelance journalist and has started her own publication, Oyer, focused on Jewish music. As an undergrad, she was among a group of 麻豆影院 students who explored klezmer music.

Ayla Walther ’23

Walther鈥檚 Fulbright journey will take her to Bavaria, Germany, where she will work as an English teacher assistant.聽

鈥淥utside of the classroom, I plan on participating and engaging with the community as much as possible,鈥� Walther said. 鈥淚 plan to join a local sport group and connect with individuals that way, as well as travel and see as much of Germany and Europe as possible. I also really want to use this experience to polish my German skills in preparation of being a German teacher when I return.鈥�

Walther said she鈥檚 been dreaming of this opportunity since her high school days in Wausau, Wisconsin.

鈥淎s someone who has essentially dedicated my career to pursuing German studies, I see this as a fantastic opportunity to continue to improve not only my German language skills but also develop a deeper understanding of German culture to bring back to the classroom and share with my future students,鈥� she said.

Walther, who graduated from 麻豆影院 in June, completed her student teaching in German and social studies at Ashwaubenon High School earlier this year. She received her teaching license from the State of Wisconsin in early spring and is working as a substitute聽teacher in Ashwaubenon and Green Bay.聽

Want to know more about the Fulbright? 麻豆影院 students interested in applying for a Fulbright award or other fellowships should reach out to Claire Kervin, assistant professor of English and director of fellowships advising.

The first staged reading of Run with the Hare took place in the Barnstorm Studio at the Home Rule Club in Kilkenny, Ireland, giving Troy a chance to test his Irish dialogue with Irish actors.

鈥淭he action of the play takes place in Kilkenny, so having a Kilkenny-based cast and audience, I was able to test the accuracy of all the place names, locales, and historical references, and more importantly, the associations locals make with those places and events,鈥� Troy said. 鈥淚 made a few adjustments to the play based on that feedback.鈥�

The March 28 reading at 麻豆影院, set for 7 p.m., will be the first reading in the U.S. Four professional actors鈥擲tephen Spencer (from TV series Fargo and Empire and the film Public Enemies), Olivia Gregorich 鈥�17, Alan Kopischke, and Jacque Troy鈥攚ill be joined in the cast by three 麻豆影院 seniors, Ella Rose Schaefer, Alec Welhouse, and Jon Winkler.

Troy will direct the production and then partake in a talk-back session with the audience.

The staged reading, Troy said, is a significant step in the development of the play. It鈥檚 an opportunity for him as the playwright to hear the dialogue with fresh ears because the audience is hearing the play for the first time.

The story, Troy said, is focused on Stapleton, a three-time All-Ireland hurling champion, pharmacist, and happily married father of two. He awakens his commitment to Irish Nationalism as the First D谩il and the Irish Volunteers struggle to establish the new Irish State in 1918. From that moment until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, Stapleton manufactures and distributes war materials and gathers important intelligence, all while winning golf tournaments, nurturing a growing family, attending to the ailments of his community, decoding messages disguised as folklore, and gathering allies among those who appear to support British occupation, Troy said.

Troy first heard about Stapleton in 2016 while visiting with friend and occasional collaborator Lucy Stapleton, Dan Stapleton鈥檚 great-granddaughter. The two attended a museum exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Troy learned that his friend鈥檚 aunt, Helen (Stapleton) Ledwidge, had written a thesis on Dan Stapleton while studying at UCD.

鈥淗er research, additional Stapleton family letters, an unpublished memoir of Dan Stapleton鈥檚 youngest son, photos and documents, and Dan鈥檚 1953 oral history of his experiences during the Anglo-Irish War served as my primary sources for the play,鈥� Troy said.

He also consulted with modern Irish historians from UCD, Trinity College, and Maynooth University and explored archival material from the National Library of Ireland, the Irish Military Archives, UCD archives, and the National Folklore Collection.

Ledwidge and other Stapleton family members attended the reading of Troy鈥檚 play in Kilkenny.

鈥淗e sent me a copy of his first draft, and when I read it,聽I was blown away by his take on Dan’s聽story, his grasp of Irish dialogue, humor, and events,鈥� Ledwidge said. 鈥淗e organized a first reading in Dan’s old hometown of Kilkenny. The family went to see it, and it was so wonderful to see it live; we were blown away at how good the story looked and sounded on stage.鈥�

As someone who has dedicated significant time to researching and documenting her family history, Ledwidge said she is thrilled to see her grandfather鈥檚 story come to life on stage.

鈥淚 hope when Run with the Hare is eventually performed live it will be received with great applause as it is in my opinion a great piece of writing by Tim,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e all wish him every accolade due to him and the recognition that he is indeed a great playwright.鈥�

Troy鈥檚 year in Ireland was a return engagement. He taught there during a residency 15 years earlier.

A 1985 graduate of 麻豆影院, Troy has been teaching in 麻豆影院鈥檚 theatre arts program since 1997 (he also taught from 1989 to 1992), with a focus on acting, directing, script analysis, and playwriting.

罢丑别听聽is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program.聽Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than聽400,000聽participants from聽over聽160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research, exchange ideas,聽and contribute to finding solutions to shared聽international聽concerns.

On stage

What: Staged reading of Run with the Hare (鈥nd hunt with the hound), written by Timothy X. Troy

When: 7 p.m. March 28

Where: Cloak Theater in the Music-Drama Center

Cost: Free

Fulbright awards offer U.S. citizens the聽opportunity to study, teach English, or conduct research abroad for nine to 12 months.

A Fulbright fellowship covers a wide range of territory. It can support graduate study, teaching abroad, or an independent research project or artistic endeavor. Regardless of the particulars, every Fulbright is intended to support cultural exchange and create greater mutual understanding between nations.

Kervin leads a Fulbright Committee at 麻豆影院 that interviews applicants and prepares endorsement materials.

The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Gupta received his fellowship in social psychology. Working toward his Ph.D. at Stanford University, Gupta is looking to apply social psychological insights to social problems through theory-driven research related to issues of discrimination, bias, and prejudice.

Gupta鈥檚 work after graduating from 麻豆影院 has focused on developing and evaluating evidence-based intervention programs for young people, particularly in 6th through 12th grade. These programs use community engagement opportunities and curriculum to encourage marginalized and/or disadvantaged children to find their voice and use it within their communities. Gupta is continuing this work as he develops the theory behind it.聽

Gupta focused on honing his research skills in the years between 麻豆影院 and Stanford. After 麻豆影院, he began work at the Center for Social Development and Education at UMass-Boston as a research assistant. He then worked as a research coordinator for the Lifting the Bar Project at Stanford with Dr. Greg Walton鈥檚 lab. For Gupta, these work experiences not only developed his knowledge of interdisciplinary research methods but were instrumental in broadening his ideas about the application of social psychology theories to solving pressing social problems.

Gupta traces the building of this foundation to his time at 麻豆影院. The two-class Research Methods series with psychology professors Peter Glick and Matt Ansfield gave him the tools to put his questions about the world into research. Gupta developed strong relationships with his professors: Glick would later mentor him through his honors thesis and act as a reference for his NSF application. 聽

鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 really unique about 麻豆影院 鈥� not just working in a lab but building a solid relationship with a professor and working closely with them to answer questions that are important to you,鈥� he said.聽

For Gupta, who grew up in a predominantly white Wisconsin community, social psychology is the framework he uses to ask questions about his experiences in society and the toolbox he uses to find the answers. He said he鈥檚 passionate about sharing these tools with others for the betterment of themselves, each other, and their communities.聽

Ada Stelzer 鈥�21

Stelzer received her fellowship in mathematics. As she works toward her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she鈥檚 working to answer questions about complex polynomial equations. She is studying Schubert calculus, which aims to find points of intersection between surfaces in large numbers of dimensions. Because these surfaces are so abstract, she’s using something called Groebner geometry to relate them to simpler coordinate planes. The process is similar to polynomial long division.

Stelzer鈥檚 work as an undergrad at 麻豆影院, particularly her independent study in Groebner geometry, led her to Schubert calculus in graduate school.

鈥淭here was a lot of room to do what you wanted,鈥� Stelzer said of her time at 麻豆影院. 鈥淢y senior year, my friend Travis (Dillon 鈥�21) and I organized a math colloquium series where we and others took turns giving talks on our favorite subjects. At a big school, we wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do that.鈥�

.

Studying in the liberal arts allowed Stelzer to pursue linguistic anthropology, creative writing, and choir alongside mathematics. She said that variety of study has had a positive influence on her teaching style.

Stelzer is excited to make an impact in the mathematics field. For her, working on a problem is a connection of more than numbers.

鈥淲hen you use someone else鈥檚 result, it鈥檚 kind of like you鈥檙e holding hands across time,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you understand, it鈥檚 like you talk to each other, even though they were living 200 years ago.鈥�

Sarabeth Brandt ’21

Brandt received her grant in electrical engineering. Currently a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University, Brandt is working to develop a tool to monitor and study ground-nesting bees.

She is studying ground-piercing radar to develop this tool. Typically, these radar systems are used for larger surveys, such as finding pipes underground.

鈥淢y goal is to take that idea and push it a bit further by looking for these small nest cells,鈥� Brandt said. 鈥淭he idea is to use the electromagnetic properties of the nest cells 鈥� to identify them against their environment.鈥�

Brandt is trying to pinpoint squash bee nests. Squash bees, which have evolved along Pennsylvania squash plants, are especially effective pollinators of squash. Unlike honeybees, they nest individually and are inactive for most of the year, making it difficult to research them or track their population. Brandt said a tool like the one she鈥檚 developing would allow researchers to assess the bees鈥� state of population decline and make it easier to answer questions about the bees鈥� impact on squash plants.

Brandt found her passion for this project through a research program at Penn State called Drawdown while an undergrad at 麻豆影院. The program, taking place remotely in the summer of 2020, was focused on research toward climate solutions. Brandt worked with electrical engineers and etymologists to predict insects鈥� reactions to electromagnetic waves.

A physics major at 麻豆影院, Brandt found the liberal arts education made it easier to think outside of her field, which was invaluable at Drawdown. She credits 麻豆影院 with developing her skills in writing concisely, noting the positive comments about her writing on her application.

鈥淪eeking out unique opportunities can send you down really fun and interesting paths,鈥� Brandt said.

Watson Fellows are selected from 41 private colleges and universities across the United States that partner with the Watson Foundation. More than 3,000 Watson Fellows have been named since the inaugural class in 1969.

The Watson Foundation dates back to 1961, created as a charitable trust in the name of Thomas J. Watson Sr., best known for building IBM. It works with students to develop personal, professional, and cultural opportunities that build their confidence and perspective to be more humane and effective leaders with a world view.

This year鈥檚 class comes from 20 states and four countries and exhibits a broad range of academic specialties, socio-economic backgrounds, and project diversity. They will travel to 54 countries pursuing topics ranging from climate refugees to pediatric cancer; from contemporary African art to disability care innovation; from entrepreneurial inclusion to urban animals; from coastal resilience to modern opera.

Q&A with Charlie Wetzel

We talked with Wetzel about the year ahead:

Q: What sort of connections and collaborative work are you looking to do as you travel the world?

Wetzel: Over my Watson year, I am hoping to make sculptures, photographs, and body-art pieces with other transgender artists around the world. I am starting my fellowship in Sey冒isfj枚r冒ur, Iceland, which is a rural town of around 700 people located on the eastern edge of the country. While the town is small, it has an internationally recognized art scene and there are multiple queer artist residencies in the region. During my time there, I plan on collaborating with other trans women artists to make polaroid and alternate process photographs. I will also visit with and interview artists from the Heima art collective, a small group of makers who are located in east Iceland, about how their art practices have been shaped by gender identity and Icelandic public policy.

Next, I will visit Bengaluru, India, where I will volunteer with the Aravani Art Project and work on murals and large-scale paintings. The Aravani Art Project is a public art collective run by trans and queer women across India. The project brings together people from the transgender community who paint murals inspired by their lives and experiences. In Berlin, Mexico City, and Amsterdam, I will work on similar collaborations with other queer art organizations and meet with artists who are making work about trans ontology.

During my Watson year, I will also explore what gender-affirming health care looks like around the world, with the goal of understanding how different care settings can impact art about transgender life. While I am in Chonburi, Thailand, I am hoping to meet with surgeons and health care workers who provide gender-affirming bottom surgeries. Chonburi is an international hub for gender-affirming surgery, and while I am there, I will live in a hotel used by patients who are recovering from gender-affirming vaginoplasty. Early during my transition, I looked into having surgery in Chonburi, so this stop will have special significance to me. I will also work with one of my contacts who is a body and performance artist to make a collaborative piece about altering the gendered body.

Q: Why is this work and exploration important to you?

Wetzel: My art practice is the single most important thing to me. I spend all of my free time making art, and when I am not able to be in the Wriston Art Center or the Maker Space physically working on a project, I am reading, talking, learning, and thinking about art. I am totally obsessed. All of my work centers around trans ontology鈥攊t is all about how and why trans people exist, and it celebrates the beauty of trans life. One of my goals in life is to advance the rights of queer and transgender people. We are routinely denied access to basic health care and are increasingly being used as political scapegoats. My activist art practice is what I use to gain some sense of control over these narratives, and this project will let me spend an entire year making work about, and advocating for, trans identity on an international scale. The Watson Fellowship is, literally, a dream come true.

Q: How has your time at 麻豆影院 prepared you for this next adventure?

Wetzel: I came to 麻豆影院 undecided with a vague idea that I wanted to eventually go to law school. But then, I took Intro to 3D Art with professor Rob Neilson. I had some background in photography when I applied to 麻豆影院, but I did not think I would pursue art at any serious level. That class, and the sculpture classes I took my sophomore year, totally changed me鈥擯rofessor Neilson taught me how to think with art. He showed me how pieces of wire, chunks of wood, and lumps of metal can communicate profound ideas, and he encouraged me to think of myself as an artist. Additionally, the classes and conversations I had early on with professors Elizabeth Carlson and John Shimon showed me that artists and visual scholars can have a profound impact on the world, and they helped me realize that a life as an artist can be as, if not more, impactful as a life as a lawyer.

Q: How about experiences outside the classroom?

Wetzel: 麻豆影院 has granted me dozens of opportunities that have prepared me for my Watson. Over the last two summers, I stayed on campus to produce a few different bodies of work. In 2021, I made an installation piece and a large body of photographic self-portraits and in 2022 I spent my days between the Maker Space and the Wriston working on a series of 3D printed sculptures. All that work turned into three separate solo shows in the Mudd Gallery, one solo show at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a residency at the Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, where I got the opportunity to run interactive art workshops. All of that prepared me incredibly well for the Watson鈥攂oth the application process and the project itself鈥攁nd none of it would have been possible without the support of 麻豆影院 facilities, faculty, and staff. Sometimes I have these moments where I realize just how lucky I am to have this community. I am a Pell Grant recipient who has never left the country, and it makes no logical sense that this is happening to me. Thanks to this wacky little school called 麻豆影院, though, it is, and now I get to travel the world making queer art.