Julia Blackmon, a Rhodes College senior from Austin, TX, has been selected to receive the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a one year $40,000 grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States. The award allows fellows a rare opportunity right after college to pursue original projects on a global scale.
Deanie Parker and William C. Rhodes III will receive honorary degrees at the 175th Commencement of Rhodes College on May 11. Rhodes is former president and chief executive officer of AutoZone, where he continues to serve as executive chairman of the board. Parker, who received two Grammy Awards this year, was publicist of legendary Stax Records and the first president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation.
At Rhodes, Mehn Tal Norm '24 found the flexibility to customize his coursework to suit his academic vision. Not only is he minoring in both Chinese and economics, he has also worked with faculty across departments to make his international studies major more interdisciplinary and studied abroad to get hands-on experience in the field.