Sara Garcia ’25 receives the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

Sara Garcia ’25 has been awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for 2025–2026 to explore how community-based research bridges the gap between scientific research and social action.

Garcia, from St. Paul, MN, is among 37 students selected nationwide from 155 finalists from 41 partner schools to receive the $40,000 fellowship stipend from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. The fellowship program offers “college graduates of unusual promise a year of purposeful, independent exploration and international travel to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.”

Garcia’s project, Uniting Communities and Science through Community-Based Research, will look at how communities around the world vary in their approaches to community-based research. Garcia will connect with researchers, community members, and organizations to learn about different stakeholder’s perspectives on topics ranging from environmental health to infectious disease prevention. Her proposed countries are Mexico, Kenya, Thailand, New Zealand, and Canada.

“By better understanding these diverse viewpoints, I will determine how this approach to science might empower communities, advance science, and create social change,” stated Garcia. In her application she conveyed hope as scientists and communities around the globe build and rebuild trust and collaborate through community-based research. 

“This research method aims to equitably engage community members, researchers, and other stakeholders in a joint research effort, while acknowledging the distinct strengths of each participant,” said Garcia.

“I am so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to explore my passion for science and community around the world for a full year,” expressed Garcia. “It is impossible to predict what this year will bring but I know it will be a period of intense learning, growth, and adventure.”  

Grinnell has partnered with the Watson Fellowship Program since it was established in 1968. With the announcement of this year's recipients, 86 Grinnell students have been named Watson Fellows.

“Sara exudes her Watson project,” said Ann Landstrom, the College’s assistant dean and director of global fellowships and awards. “It is such a natural extension of her past experiences that aligns with her long-term goals in ecological and community-based health”

Garcia, a biology and sociology double major, was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society in 2024 and has consistently been named to Grinnell College’s Dean’s List. She is currently a land steward for the Sustainability Committee, member of the Center for Prairie Studies Board, student representative for the Biology Student Educational Policy Committee, member of the Student Environmental Committee, and a captain for the ‘svelts Ultimate Frisbee team, all at Grinnell College.

While living in Costa Rica in 2020-2021, Garcia volunteered at the Tapir Valley Nature Reserve learning from community members and scientists and conducting an independent research project to learn about the Parmentierra Valerii tree species for which their fruit is a food source for the Tapir. Ultimately, she compiled data on the tree species and planted a small tree nursery in collaboration with a reserve worker, reserve owner, and Costa Rican scientist. 

While in college, she was a summer research assistant and continues as a member of the Racial School Segregation Working Group at the University of Minnesota, contributing to research on racial school segregation and it’s health/educational impacts on students in the Twin Cities. Garcia also participated in an ecology REU at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge through the University of New Mexico; and back home in Minnesota she was a naturalist and camp counselor at the YMCA Family Camp Northern Lights, Ely-Babbit, MN.  

“Throughout the Watson application process, I have had the opportunity to plan an experience that was completely mine,” shared Garcia. “I took something from fragments of my imagination and created a plan for something I would be ecstatic to do for a full year.” In creating her project, she learned of the unique approaches people take to the issues she cares about, while also embracing the importance of trusting in others for their knowledge, expertise, and guidance.

“Sara’s integrity, leadership, maturity, and openness to diverse perspectives resonate through her life experiences and will continue to bring her strength during a Watson year,” offered Landstrom. “We wholeheartedly congratulate Sara on this accomplishment and look forward to following her journey.” 

Upon completion of the Watson year, Sara will pursue a public health career that advances community well-being through the integration of human and environmental health. This may include obtaining a master’s in public health and a PhD in a field related to environmental health, disease ecology, or global health.

The College appreciates the journeys proposed by all of the applicants this past fall. Other nominees included: Madeline ‘Maddie’ Hartog, New York, NY, L’dor V’dor: Generational Differences in Global Judaism;  Rui ‘Betty’ Lin, Dongguan, Guangdong, China, The Joy of Dying; and Qiongyue ‘Olivia’ Wang, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China, Riding Waves with Local Cultures and Global Exchange.  

“The Watson application process transforms a person’s deepest interests into a project of purposeful independent exploration that will continue to be part of an applicant’s life forever,” said Landstrom.