Baylor Grad Wins Prestigious Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Baylor University graduate Camille Watson, B.A. ’22, has won the prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship, a merit- and needs-based program that honors Thomas R. Pickering, one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century. The Pickering, along with the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program, are the U.S. State Department’s flagship initiatives for recruiting top-tier talent.

As a Pickering recipient, Watson joins Rangel winner Isabella Zárate as the first Baylor students since 2019 to win a Pickering and Rangel in the same academic year. With her fellowship, Watson will study for her master’s degree in Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European Studies at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.

A “Third Culture Kid” who grew up in Ukraine, Russia and Germany, Watson graduated from Baylor in 2022 as a University Scholar in the Honors College with concentrations and additional majors in Russian and Professional Writing and Rhetoric. Also in 2022, she won the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) award to Azerbaijan, where she taught English and served as a cultural representative at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts. Upon her return to the U.S., Watson joined the Baylor Admissions team as an International Admissions Counselor, with an eye toward future public service.

“Completing my Fulbright in Azerbaijan opened my eyes to the different paths I could take to public service and inspired me to apply for the Pickering Fellowship,” Watson said. “It is a huge honor that I do not take lightly. My great-grandfather’s cousin, Adolf Dubs, was the last U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan before his untimely death in 1979. He also served as the Charge d’Affaires in Moscow and was widely considered by his peers as a leading expert on the Soviet Union. I hope to follow in his footsteps in foreign service and become a leading expert on Russian affairs over the course of my career.” 

After completing her master’s degree, Watson will receive her first embassy assignment.

“I truly cannot wait to see where I will be placed. There is nowhere in the world I wouldn’t go, and I look forward to serving my country in whatever capacity it deems fit,” she said.

The Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship – which is collaboratively administered by the Bureau of Global Talent Management and Howard University – prepares highly talented individuals for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The program is grounded in the principle that a broad range of perspectives strengthens diplomatic efforts and fosters a comprehensive approach to global challenges. Fellows are selected based on demonstrated merit and financial need.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled for and proud of Camille. The Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship puts recipients on a rocket trajectory toward a career as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State and she is well deserving of the award,” said Daniel Benyousky, Ph.D., director of major fellowships and awards in Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning. “Camille consistently demonstrated academic excellence and ambassadorial expertise at Baylor and on her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to Azerbaijan. We can't wait to see what new heights she reaches as a Pickering Fellow who fosters diplomacy while meeting important global challenges.”

Baylor became Watson’s home away from home – which was Kandern, Germany – from the moment she first stepped on campus at 16.

“My family flew all the way from Germany to tour colleges. I fell in love with Baylor because of its warm and genuine hospitality. I remember feeling like the tour guides I met cared about me as a person, not just as a prospective student. When I started at Baylor, I felt that genuine community warmth right from the beginning,” she said.

Once on campus, Watson was surrounded by faculty mentors, who exemplify the University’s mission to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.” She lists among her most influential mentors Adrienne Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of Russian; Coretta Pittman, Ph.D., associate professor of English and vice provost for community engagement and belonging; and Jennifer Oh, associate director of international admissions.

“Dr. Harris has been my rock almost since the beginning. She makes her students love the Russian language and literature and art from Russian-speaking cultures, just by the way she speaks about it. I have found in her a true kindred spirit,” Watson said. “I had the pleasure of taking many of Dr. Pittman’s courses, but truly she has been a mentor for me most through her work outside the classroom. She is my role model for what excellence across life disciplines looks like. Baylor is extremely lucky to have her.”

She describes Oh as “perhaps my greatest mentor and role model.”

“Through her, I have learned grace under pressure, patience and the importance of not disregarding the power of prayer. I feel extremely blessed to have had her as a supervisor, and if I can one day be half the leader she is, I will consider myself very lucky indeed,” Watson said.

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF ENGAGED LEARNING

As students across Baylor University work to maximize their education and pursue their long-term ambitions, the Office of Engaged Learning walks alongside students as they learn about rich opportunities for study, research and professional experience available to them. These can include a nationally or internationally competitive scholarship, fellowship, internship or research experience such as the Fulbright, Truman, Rhodes, Marshall or Churchill. Many of these awards support post-graduate study, research or international engagement. In addition, notable awards such as the Goldwater, Boren, Critical Language Scholarship, Gilman and NSF-REU fund student research and study at the undergraduate level.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.