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BY HANNAH PURKEY

In print | Published March 27, 2008

Wren Elhai ’08 recently won the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for a year-long, self-directed study abroad to study traditions of vocal sound imitating nature. Elhai is one of 50 graduating college seniors from across the country to be recognized.

Elhai is just one of several Swarthmore students who have recently won prestigious awards and fellowships, according to Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal.

Other awardees include Marshall Morales ’08 for the Luce Scholarship, which allows fifteen American students an experience in Asia designed to broaden their perspectives and their views of Asia, according to the Luce Scholarship Web site.

Joel Mittleman ’09 recently won the Truman Fellowship, which recognizes college juniors with leadership potential who are pursuing careers in government or elsewhere in the public service with up to $30,000 for graduate study and preferred admissions to and financial aid at select institutions. Mittleman declined to comment for this article.

Mark Dlugash ’08 was also recognized by USA Today as one of 20 students named an Academic All-Star.

The Watson Fellowship provides students with a $25,000 grant for a year of independent study and travel outside of the US, according to the Watson Fellowship Web site.

The goal of this fellowship is to allow students to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness and imagination in order to foster participation in the world community, according to the Web site.

“They are trying to get people to go and to come back having had a personal and important life experience,” Elhai said.

A life experience is just what Elhai has planned.

When he leaves the U.S. in August, he will not be able to re-enter the country for an entire year or he will lose the grant money the fellowship provides. Elhai will be traveling to countries like Russia, Hungary, South Africa and England among others.

In these countries he will study the the voice as an instrument in different cultures, looking at the use of the voice as a percussive rhythmic device and as a means to imitate nature.

Elhai is passionate about music and is excited to have the opportunity to study it on the Watson Fellowship since it is not something he plans on pursuing as a career.

“The money comes with surprisingly few strings attached,” Elhai said. “They encourage you to pursue something you are passionate about but not necessarily something you will go into professionally.”

Elhai was able to draw on his experiences working with the Swarthmore’s a cappella group Sixteen Feet as well as his work on War News Radio to help pursue this fellowship.

“Sixteen Feet and singing in general was important on an obvious level since it gave me the idea for my proposal,” Elhai said. “War News Radio allowed me to think about it [the proposal] in a practical way, about who I can call to get resources, to get past that initial jolt of fear when you pick up the phone and dial an international code.”

Members of Sixteen Feet were not surprised at Elhai’s accomplishment since they know the talent and dedication Elhai possesses.

“He’s a good guy with a good heart, who is a constant musical inspiration to those around him,” Sixteen Feet member G Patrick ’10 said.

Westphal recognizes the amazing honors Swarthmore students have received, and attributes part of the school’s success to the nature of the student body. “A lot of these awards are particularly suited for Swarthmore students,” Westphal said. “For example the Truman Fellowship is for students involved in public service who are working to make the world a better place. The Watson and other fellowships are good because they are geared towards students who are independent and imaginative and are really trying to think outside of the box, which Swarthmore students are.”

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