Seven Macaulay Honors College Students Win Jeannette K. Watson Fellowships

Macaulay Honors College announces that seven students have been selected to be Jeannette K. Watson Class of 2024 Fellows. Nishanth Araveti ’25 (Hunter College), Sharnom Chowdhury ’25 (Queens College), Katherine Grivkov ’25 (John Jay College), Jiada Valenza ’25 (Hunter College), Andrew Williams ’25 (City College), Yori Xhumari ’24 (City College), and Katherine Yenna ’25 (College of Staten Island) will receive annual funding to develop their personal, professional, and cultural potential.

The group is the largest cohort of Macaulay Watson Fellows to date, with five CUNY campuses represented. The fellowship program provides student leaders from New York City colleges with three years of unprecedented personal, professional and cultural immersions in the United States and abroad.

The winners reflect the diverse academic and personal pursuits of Macaulay students. Sharnom Chowdhury is currently working toward a BA in Neuroscience and Political Science and is a member of the Pre-Health Club. Andrew Williams has worked as a mentor, volunteer and tutor throughout the community and is pursuing a BS in Psychology. Political Science and Humanities & Justice are the focus of Katherine Grivkov’s BA. Yori Xhumari, a Political Science Major with Legal Studies Minor, is also a frequent volunteer in the community.

At the center of the program are fully-funded summer experiences with leading organizations in New York City and around the world. Combined with close mentoring, Watson Fellows expand their vision, develop their potential and build the confidence and perspective to do so for others. Fellows go on to attend leading graduate programs, receive national and international scholarships, and become leaders in their fields. More about the program.

About Macaulay Honors College

Ranked as one of the top ten honors colleges in the nation, Macaulay provides exceptional students with a rigorous education drawing on the vast academic resources of the nation’s largest urban university and the rich cultural diversity of New York City. Our students represent the top 4% of the 13,000+ incoming freshmen on eight CUNY campuses, including Baruch, Brooklyn, City, Hunter, John Jay, Lehman, and Queens Colleges, and the College of Staten Island.