Amelia Smyth, a double major in CCNY's Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, is a 2018 Watson Fellow winner.
Amelia J. Smyth, a sophomore in The City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, is a 2018 Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship winner. Created in 1999, the program provides outstanding undergraduates from 12 New York City colleges with three years of personal, professional and cultural immersions in the United States and abroad. It is supported by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation.
“In this milestone year, our 50th Anniversary as a foundation, we are excited that our campus and global partnerships are stronger than ever”, said Chris Kasabach, executive director of the Watson Foundation. "The new class of Jeannette K. Watson Fellows represents the diversity, creativity, openness, and ambition of New York City’s most remarkable students. We look forward to welcoming them to the Watson Community and crafting a three-year experience that develops their unique aspirations."
A member of the CCNY Honors Program, Smyth is one of 15 undergraduates in the 19th Class of Jeannette K. Watson Fellows. The Baldwin, NY, resident is an international studies and economics double major, with a 4.0 GPA.
This is her second notable fellowship. In December 2017, Smyth was one of 25 students nationwide awarded UNA Emerging Leaders Fellowships that recognize emerging leaders. Fellows are required to complete a human rights awareness project to be
presented in Washington, DC during the UNA leadership summit this June.
Her UNA project is a workshop on homeless rights and the UN. “What motivated me to go into this field was learning about the Holocaust,” said Smyth. “I was captivated from a very young age and as I began to learn about other genocides I knew that I had to do something. For me international policy and economic development are two of the best ways to work towards prevention of genocide.”
Smyth is also on the City College Dean’s List.
About the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship
Jeannette K. Watson Fellows are chosen through a nomination process from freshman and sophomore students at 12 New York City partner institutions. The fellowship's comprehensive programming includes three summers of internships at leading organizations around the world, a cohort of supportive peers and ongoing mentorship. Over 250 Jeannette K. Watson Fellows have been named since the fellowship’s start in 1999.
About the Watson Foundation
In 1961, the Watson Foundation was created as a charitable trust in the name of Thomas J. Watson Sr., best known for building IBM. Through one-of-a-kind programs, and over 100 global partnerships, the Foundation provides students with personal, professional and cultural opportunities to expand their vision, develop their potential, and build their confidence and perspective do so for others.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. Today The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks CCNY #2 among public colleges with the greatest success in ensuring the social mobility of our student body; at the same time the Center for world University Rankings places it in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.