Four Long Island University/Brooklyn Campus Students Named
2003 Jeannette K. Watson Fellows

Distinguished Fellowship Program Grooms Freshmen and Sophomores for Professional and Personal Growth

Brooklyn, N.Y. — Four students at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus have won 2003 Jeannette K. Watson fellowships, the prestigious award that provides exceptional college freshmen and sophomores paid summer internships and mentoring support along with opportunities for lifetime professional and personal contacts.

For 2003, three of the winners from the Brooklyn Campus are members of the school’s University Honors Program. "These fellowships will open up important opportunities for all of the Watson recipients, who already have great talent and determination. I am very proud of them," said Bernice Braid, director of the University Honors Program.

Over three consecutive summers, Watson Fellows can choose among coveted internship assignments that include placements in organizations in the non-profit, business and government worlds. In the third summer, the fellows can apply for an international assignment with organizations such as Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, and The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

A series of weekly seminars further enhances the learning experience by encouraging debate and interaction. Every Watson Fellow receives a generous stipend as well as a laptop computer to complete their assignments.

A native of Houma, Louisiana, David Ledet, 20, plans a career in environmental or corporate law. A double major in English and political science, he is a dedicated athlete — a member of Long Island University’s soccer team and a mentor to freshman athletes. Now interning with New York City’s non-profit Central Park Conservancy, Ledet says of his fellowship, "There is no better way to prepare myself for graduate school or to get the experience needed to decide what jobs do or do not appeal to me."

Dynell Pinder, a 23-year-old Bronx resident, is also an outstanding athlete. He is accomplished in Judo--he is ranked number two in the nation in his sport--and he is training to compete in the 2004 summer Olympics. Pinder also is the assistant director of the Starrett Judo Program, instructing children ages 6-16 in the sport. This summer he is interning with Global Kids in Manhattan.

Joanna Sorocki, 18, is a journalism major and a staff writer for Seawanhaka, the student-run paper at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus. She serves in the Student Government Association and is interested in a career in law or journalism. This summer, the East New York, Brooklyn, resident is an intern with the New-York Historical Society.

Julianna Tabak, 20, of North Woodmere, New York, is a member of the Student Government Association’s Sophomore Council and also tutors other students in writing. With plans to become a writer, she will major in either English or philosophy and currently is serving an internship at The Conference Board.

Previous Long Island University Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship recipients include 2000 recipients Raynal Jabouin and Cheryl Williams, 2001 recipient Joel Mentor and 2002 recipients Jana Hasprunarova and Shibinsky Martin.

The Jeanette K. Watson Fellowships were established in 1999 by The Thomas J. Watson Foundation, and operate on the principle that "talent is broadly distributed but only selectively developed." They provide a set of unparalleled workplace and seminar experiences to ignite the professional and personal growth of students at eight urban colleges in New York: City College, College of Staten Island, Hunter, Lehman, Long Island University (Brooklyn), Marymount Manhattan, Pace University (Manhattan), and Queens College.

For more than 40 years the Thomas J. Watson Foundation has provided opportunities for graduating seniors at 50 selective liberal arts colleges to travel abroad for a year of work and study through the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

For more information or to receive a Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship application packet, contact campus representative Dean Bernice Braid at (718) 488-1006.

Long Island University opened its Brooklyn Campus in 1926, welcoming a diverse population at a time when other major universities enforced quota systems against racial and ethnic minorities. Some 30,000 students are enrolled at the University’s three residential and three regional campuses, including 11,000 at the Brooklyn Campus.