Killings Awarded Prestigious Watson Fellowship
3/16/2016 12:22:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Senior captain Xzavier Killings of the Davidson men's track and field team has been awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.
About the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent study outside the United States, awarded to graduating seniors nominated by one of 40 partner colleges.
The Watson is a rare window of time after college and pre-career to engage your deepest interest on a world scale. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States for one year and embrace the ensuing journey. They decide where to go, who to meet and when to change course. They do not affiliate with academic institutions and may not hold formal employment.
The program produces a year of personal insight, perspective and confidence that shapes the arc of fellows' lives. Started in 1968, Watson alumni comprise leaders in every field. The one-year stipend is $30,000. Only partner colleges may nominate students.
In addition to Killings, Alec Rotunda of the Davidson men's soccer team was also awarded a Watson Fellowship.
The 48th class of Watson Fellows comes from 21 states and eight countries and will travel to 67 countries exploring topics ranging from climate change to incarceration; from technology empowerment to forced migration; from car culture to ethnoentomology.
Killings On the Track
Killings has been a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, competing in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and various sprinting events.
As a senior, Killings opened the 2015-16 indoor season off with a record-setting performance in the long jump. Killings cleared 22'7.25" (6.89m). He also registered career-bests in the 200 meter event (22.86) and the 300 meter sprint (36.98) in his final indoor season. At the 2016 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship, Killings finished seventh in the long jump registering a mark of 21'9" (6.63m).
Comments Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Jen Straub
"We are so proud of Xzavier for winning one of the prestigious Watson Fellowship grants. Xzavier exhibits the all qualities you look for in a student-athlete here at Davidson College and his commitment to community service is exemplary. We look forward to hearing about his program abroad as he works with patients, teaching then to sustain their healthcare outside hospital walls."
Comments from Associate Head Coach Renny Waldron
"We are very lucky to have Xzavier as a student-athlete here at Davidson. He is a relentless worker and has been an overwhelmingly positive influence on the Davidson community and in his role as one of our track and field captains. We will be sad to see him leave Davidson, but know that he will do great things after he graduates this spring, and the Watson Fellowship will certainly help him as he starts that journey. He is most deserving of this award!"
Xzavier Killings '16: Empowering Patients Through Service, Education and Athletics
Written by Savannah Haeger '16
Xzavier Killings '16 doesn't settle for anything less than his best effort, and he constantly strives to contribute more to the Davidson community. The senior biology major, track and field captain and 2015 homecoming king from Roebuck, S.C., recently broke the school record in the long jump—just one of the many ways he will leave a legacy on campus long after commencement.
In addition to his passion for athletics, community service is a cornerstone of Killings' life. As a Bonner Scholar, he performs 280 hours of community service per year, averaging 10 hours per week on top of already demanding academic and athletic commitments.
Though Killings' track and field schedule did not permit him to study abroad during the academic year, he gained international experience through a Dean Rusk travel grant, which allowed him to travel to Germany to shadow doctors in a hospital and volunteer at a local preschool.
"That opportunity to go abroad broadened my horizons and left me wanting to go back to Germany and travel more," said Killings, a German minor who, in addition to the Bonner Scholarship, also receives the Allen V. Beck Jr. Scholarship and the Bethea Scholarship.
At the hospital where Killings volunteered, one unique program left a lasting impression: a parkour program to combat diabetes.
"It was so innovative," explained Killings, referring to the urban sport of running and jumping over obstacles to promote well-being. "It made me realize we need more programs like that, turning something challenging into something inspiring."
Killings was awarded a Watson Fellowship to work on a project inspired by his time in Germany. Titled "Ultimate Healing: Empowering Patients Through Service, Education and Athletics," the fellowship will allow him to spend a year traveling to Jamaica, Zambia, India and Belize examining different approaches to healing, as well as how communities are empowering patients to sustain their healthcare outside of hospital walls.
With his long-term goal of becoming a medical practitioner, Killings hopes to learn what makes these international health programs successful so he can bring those ideas back to the United States.
"I didn't expect to be supported as much as I am by professors, staff and students," said Killings. "My community of athletics, academics and my social family all intertwine and support each other, working toward a common goal. It's only right that I pay that support forward."
About the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent study outside the United States, awarded to graduating seniors nominated by one of 40 partner colleges.
The Watson is a rare window of time after college and pre-career to engage your deepest interest on a world scale. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States for one year and embrace the ensuing journey. They decide where to go, who to meet and when to change course. They do not affiliate with academic institutions and may not hold formal employment.
The program produces a year of personal insight, perspective and confidence that shapes the arc of fellows' lives. Started in 1968, Watson alumni comprise leaders in every field. The one-year stipend is $30,000. Only partner colleges may nominate students.
In addition to Killings, Alec Rotunda of the Davidson men's soccer team was also awarded a Watson Fellowship.
The 48th class of Watson Fellows comes from 21 states and eight countries and will travel to 67 countries exploring topics ranging from climate change to incarceration; from technology empowerment to forced migration; from car culture to ethnoentomology.
Killings On the Track
Killings has been a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, competing in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and various sprinting events.
As a senior, Killings opened the 2015-16 indoor season off with a record-setting performance in the long jump. Killings cleared 22'7.25" (6.89m). He also registered career-bests in the 200 meter event (22.86) and the 300 meter sprint (36.98) in his final indoor season. At the 2016 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship, Killings finished seventh in the long jump registering a mark of 21'9" (6.63m).
Comments Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Jen Straub
"We are so proud of Xzavier for winning one of the prestigious Watson Fellowship grants. Xzavier exhibits the all qualities you look for in a student-athlete here at Davidson College and his commitment to community service is exemplary. We look forward to hearing about his program abroad as he works with patients, teaching then to sustain their healthcare outside hospital walls."
Comments from Associate Head Coach Renny Waldron
"We are very lucky to have Xzavier as a student-athlete here at Davidson. He is a relentless worker and has been an overwhelmingly positive influence on the Davidson community and in his role as one of our track and field captains. We will be sad to see him leave Davidson, but know that he will do great things after he graduates this spring, and the Watson Fellowship will certainly help him as he starts that journey. He is most deserving of this award!"
Xzavier Killings '16: Empowering Patients Through Service, Education and Athletics
Written by Savannah Haeger '16
Xzavier Killings '16 doesn't settle for anything less than his best effort, and he constantly strives to contribute more to the Davidson community. The senior biology major, track and field captain and 2015 homecoming king from Roebuck, S.C., recently broke the school record in the long jump—just one of the many ways he will leave a legacy on campus long after commencement.
In addition to his passion for athletics, community service is a cornerstone of Killings' life. As a Bonner Scholar, he performs 280 hours of community service per year, averaging 10 hours per week on top of already demanding academic and athletic commitments.
Though Killings' track and field schedule did not permit him to study abroad during the academic year, he gained international experience through a Dean Rusk travel grant, which allowed him to travel to Germany to shadow doctors in a hospital and volunteer at a local preschool.
"That opportunity to go abroad broadened my horizons and left me wanting to go back to Germany and travel more," said Killings, a German minor who, in addition to the Bonner Scholarship, also receives the Allen V. Beck Jr. Scholarship and the Bethea Scholarship.
At the hospital where Killings volunteered, one unique program left a lasting impression: a parkour program to combat diabetes.
"It was so innovative," explained Killings, referring to the urban sport of running and jumping over obstacles to promote well-being. "It made me realize we need more programs like that, turning something challenging into something inspiring."
Killings was awarded a Watson Fellowship to work on a project inspired by his time in Germany. Titled "Ultimate Healing: Empowering Patients Through Service, Education and Athletics," the fellowship will allow him to spend a year traveling to Jamaica, Zambia, India and Belize examining different approaches to healing, as well as how communities are empowering patients to sustain their healthcare outside of hospital walls.
With his long-term goal of becoming a medical practitioner, Killings hopes to learn what makes these international health programs successful so he can bring those ideas back to the United States.
"I didn't expect to be supported as much as I am by professors, staff and students," said Killings. "My community of athletics, academics and my social family all intertwine and support each other, working toward a common goal. It's only right that I pay that support forward."
Players Mentioned
Jumps/Sprints
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