Hats off to Caroline Johnson, a senior at Rhodes College in Memphis, recently selected for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a prestigious award that provides a $40,000 stipend for a 12-month journey to pursue an original project on a global scale. A native of Nashville, TN, Johnson is one of only 40 fellows chosen nationwide as a 2026 recipient.
Watson Fellows receive the flexibility to decide where to travel and when to change course, without the need to affiliate with an academic institution or hold formal employment — designed to produce a year of personal insight, perspective, and confidence.
Johnson’s project is titled “The Economic Future of Craft” with proposed destinations of France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Kenya, and Colombia.
My Watson year will explore how craft and tradition generate cultural and financial value through innovative business models,” says Johnson. “I’m interested in how artisanal traditions — from Colombian textiles to French couture — sustain themselves?”
Founded in 1848, Rhodes College is a liberal arts and sciences college in Memphis, where students have a myriad of ways to immerse themselves through service and internship opportunities in addition to exploring the world through study abroad.
Johnson is a graduate of The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, and is pursuing a major in economics and minor in art history at Rhodes. She was awarded the College’s Wasfy Iskander International Internship for 2025, which allowed her to work last summer in Barcelona, Spain, with the Peace Dividend Initiative, an organization that fosters economic opportunities in conflict-affected areas. She conducted research on the production of shea nut butter in the Central African Republic, outlined a peacebuilding business model, and drafted funding proposals for grants.
Additionally, Johnson has held internships at the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce in Bartlett, TN, as well as the Tennessee Department of Treasury in Nashville. She has contributed fundraising efforts at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and was a member of the Rhodes women’s swimming and diving team from 2022 to 2024.
The Watson Foundation was established in 1961, honoring Thomas J. Watson Sr., known as an American businessman and first CEO of IBM (International Business Machines). Through unique programs and more than 100 global partnerships, the foundation works with students to expand their vision, develop their potential, and build the confidence and perspective to be more humane and effective leaders in the world community.
A Watson Year produces life-changing perspective and cultural connection that shapes the arc of fellows' lives,” says Chris Kasabach, executive director of the Watson Foundation. “It’s never been more important for young leaders to engage with others across differences, disciplines, and borders.”
To learn more about Rhodes College, visit rhodes.edu.