Three Rhodes College seniors are competing for the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $40,000 grant for purposeful, independent exploration abroad. If selected, fellows execute their conceived projects by traveling outside the United States for one year. They decide where to go and when to change course, and do not have to affiliate with an academic institution or hold formal employment. The program is designed to produce a year of personal insight, perspective, and confidence. Qualities sought in the selection of fellows include leadership, imagination, independence, emotional maturity, courage, integrity, and resourcefulness.
The Rhodes students vying for the prestigious fellowship are:
Julia Blackmon
Project Title: “Rock and Roll's Influence on Cultural Identity”
Proposed Project Countries: Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Argentina
Khulan Erdenechimeg
Project Title: “The Music Scenes: Exploring Cities and Their Sounds”
Proposed Project Countries: The United Kingdom, Morocco, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, and Germany
Sam Frank
Project Title: “Museum Curation and Community Engagement in Contested Spaces “
Proposed Project Countries: Germany, Hungary, Ghana, and South Africa
Blackmon, who is from Austin, TX, is pursuing a psychology major and a music minor. She also has a certificate in music industry studies and is founder of Austin Artists for Change. At Rhodes, she is a member of Prof. Matthew Weeks’ psychological research team and participates in the Rhodes Mock Trial Program and the Mike Curb Institute for Music Fellowship Program. In addition, she is organizer for the Curb’s writers in the round songwriting nights events and a soloist in the Rhodes Jazz band. Blackmon has held internships at the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office, Easley McCain Recording, and Royal Studios. She was awarded the Lainoff Fellowship for the summer of 2023 to record her first EP at Royal.
Born and raised in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Erdenechimeg is pursuing a business major and music minor. She is Rhodes Student Associate for the Mike Curb Institute for Music and has organized events such as tours to local recording studios, talks from music business industry professionals, and annual music festivals. She also is campus ambassador for The Recording Academy’s GRAMMY U. Erdenechimeg has held various internships with the Overton Park Shell, and Easley McCain Recording as well as the music finance firm Sound Royalties in West Palm Beach, FL.
Frank, who is a history major from Cincinnati, OH, serves as president of the Rhodes Honor Council. He also is a captain in the Rhodes Mock Trial program and served as assistant director for the college’s 2023 Mock Trial Summer Academy. In addition, he has held internships with the Memphis Museum of Science and History – MoSH, Just City, and Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Frank also is pursuing a minor in English, and at MoSH, he was as a panel writer for the award-winning Memphis Proud exhibit.
Students interested in learning more about the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship application process and other nationally competitive postgraduate scholarships should contact Dr. Esen Kirdis or Dr. Jason Richards, co-directors of post-graduate fellowships at Rhodes College.