We sat down with Halah Mohammed to ask her about the Watson Fellowship she was awarded with in 2014.
Q. What did you apply to do?
A. I applied to explore the narratives communicated through spoken word (slam poetry, performance poetry, and rap) in London, Dubai, and Johannesburg.
Q. What did the application process involve?
A. First submit a personal statement, project proposal, resume, etc. to the Carleton Watson Committee to become a Carleton nominee after which you will be interviewed. The nominees then work with the Committee to revise their project proposals, submit them to the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and do a final interview, usually with the Director of the Fellowship.
Q. What advice would you give a current student who might be thinking about applying?
A. The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is awarded to people who are passionate, bold, and brave enough to live a year away from everything and everyone they know to explore their passion and the thing that gets them fired up everyday. My advice is to find, if you haven’t already, your passion. Then, embrace and embody it. Also, be confident and yourself during interviews.