Jowan Watson ‘15 is graduating from Harvard Medical School this spring. With a passion for psychiatry, read on to hear more about his passion to serve, his tenacity to never give up, and his advice to Gulliver alumni after him.
What have you been up to since graduating from Gulliver?
Since graduating from Gulliver in 2015, I went to undergrad at Georgetown University where I played Division 1 football as a quarterback and majored in human biology. I graduated with honors in 2019. I then pursued a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where I graduated with academic merit. After that, I came to Harvard Medical School where I am studying psychiatry with a specific interest in Sports Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. Since experiencing a serious injury in college, I have been fascinated by the significant impact our mental health has on our overall health. My research focuses on many aspects including mental health in athlete populations, medical education, severe mental disorders in the older adult population, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the intersection of humanities and their impact on patient outcomes. I am particularly passionate about mentorship and helping anyone seeking to enter into the field of medicine, with the hopes of giving back in the same way that those who came before me encouraged and inspired me. I matched into Psychiatry residency at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School Psychiatry Program.
What are your career aspirations and how do you hope to make an impact?
I aspire to be a practicing sports and geriatric psychiatrist in the future, with the ultimate goal of being a program director for a psychiatry residency. I have a deep passion for mentorship and teaching; I aspire to commit to a career teaching and training future physicians with the hopes of further diversifying the mental health workforce to meet the needs of all patient populations.
How did your time at Gulliver fuel your education and support your passions?
My time at Gulliver helped me to develop the values that matter most to me: integrity, discipline, kindness, curiosity, and grit. I had never been at a learning institution prior to Gulliver that challenged me in the ways that Gulliver did. Gulliver pushed me beyond my comfort zone, encouraging me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, ultimately building my resilience and helping me to see the opportunity that I could have in the future. These values directly impacted my decision to go into medicine and helped fuel my love and passion for human physiology and people as a whole.
What was the most important thing you learned at Gulliver?
The most important thing I learned at Gulliver is to never give up. You will fail, you will fall, you may even get to a point where you can’t physically go on—but you can never give up. There is always something that you can strive to reach, whether that is a job, a relationship, or even a better version of yourself. Of course I learned this while being a football player for Gulliver, but the lessons I learned in my architecture, physics, history, and psychology courses helped me to see this as well.
Did you have a favorite teacher or coach at Gulliver who had a positive influence on you?
I had many favorite teachers! Mrs. O’Malley helped me love math, the late Mr. Walling always believed in me, Mr. Sandaal always challenged me to look deeper within myself, and of course, Coach Earl Sims who helped me to develop into a true leader and man.
What advice would you give other Gulliver students and alumni after you?
Never be afraid to ask for help, guidance, mentorship, or even friendship. We have not because we ask not. I often felt shy or ashamed that I needed help from others, but the smartest and most successful people in this world understand you can never accomplish anything worth striving for by yourself. Network, make close relationships, and be kind.
