Whitman College Senior Kenzie Bay ’25 Named 2025 Watson Fellow

Whitman College senior Kenzie Bay ’25 from Littleton, Colorado, has been awarded the prestigious and highly competitive Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

The Watson Fellowship allows recent college graduates to conduct yearlong independent research abroad, broadening their worldviews while making a lasting impact on the communities they visit. Recipients receive a $40,000 stipend to be used over a year as well as other benefits to help them make the most of this opportunity.

This year, Bay is one of only 37 students nationwide to be selected. She will begin her research in the fall and will focus on how remote and under-resourced communities in Nepal, Tanzania and Thailand access prehospital medical care. 

A Dream Come True

Bay says the Watson Fellowship is an experience she’s only dreamed of.

“I am super excited for the opportunity to pursue my passion on a global scale and for all of the unknown discoveries that lie ahead,” she says. “Receiving the news was a very surreal and joyous moment.”

Throughout her time at Whitman, Bay has explored her passion for emergency medicine. In her courses, she studied how biological and cultural factors in medical sciences, humanities, and anthropology influence human interactions—which led to the creation of her individually planned major: Health and Humanism. 

In her summers, she conducted research at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center and became certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and a Wilderness First Responder. In efforts to help other students with similar career goals, she launched Whitman’s new student-led first-responders club.

As she wraps up her time on campus, she will use her senior thesis to examine the effects of endometriosis—a condition in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus grow outside the uterus, which can lead to severe pain and infertility. 

After her Watson year, Bay plans to go on to medical school and pursue a career in emergency medicine. She hopes her Watson fellowship will lead to opportunities to serve patients around the world.

Supporting Stellar Students

Whitman’s Fellowships and Grants team guides students in applying for unique opportunities that will launch them into their future. Students of all class years are encouraged to visit the Career and Community Engagement Center to get personalized advice and start preparing for their own transformative global experiences.