Wheaton News

Wheaton senior wins fellowship for global study of conservation work

Ajahni Jackson ’25 plans to spend the next year traveling the globe to learn how to persuade others to care about nature as much as he does.

Jackson will make that yearlong journey thanks to winning a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The $40,000 grant—awarded to just 35 students across the country—enables graduating seniors to travel the globe exploring a theme of their choice.

“My project explores how conservationists use persuasion to inspire action across diverse fields—policy, art, education and ecotourism,” said Jackson, a biology major with minors in animal behavior and political science. “Through hands-on work with conservation organizations, I aim to uncover common strategies of persuasion used globally.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native describes himself as someone who loves “wildlife and wild places, and has an interest in politics and persuasion.” He credits nature documentaries narrated by the British biologist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, as well as the Central Park and Bronx zoos, for his lifelong fascination with the natural world. (He has also served as an intern at the Central Park Zoo.)

“I’ve always known that I want to work in wildlife conservation, but as someone who wants to make a real difference, the question quickly became: Where do I fit?,” he said.

During his time at Wheaton, Jackson has explored that question through his coursework and by pursuing a variety of activities, including co-founding the Wheaton College Film Collective, serving as an intercultural peer mentor in the Marshall Center for Intercultural Learning, working as an Admissions tour guide and joining the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society. Throughout his four years at Wheaton, he also participated in the Student Government Association, for which he now serves as president.

All of those activities, as well as the six months he spent studying in New Zealand, have helped to inform his goals, Jackson said.

“Conservation is not just about mastering science or understanding politics—it’s about learning how to connect the two to foster real change,” he said.
“This project is an opportunity for me to gain as much experience as possible, in as many disciplines as possible, so that when the time comes for me to make a difference, I can be as persuasive and effective as possible.”

Jackson credited support from Wheaton faculty and staff for helping him to obtain the Watson award. “The coordinators of the scholars advising program Professor Winter Werner and Student Success Advisor Susan Friedman are absolute stars. The amount of commitment they have shown to me and other students is amazing,” he said. “And there are so many other people who were involved in the process of preparing each of us to apply for a scholarship, including [senior professors of the practice of English] Ruth Foley and Angie Sarham.”

During his Waston year, Jackson plans to visit Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Chile, and Ireland, each of which offers unique insights to the field of conservation.

In Australia, Jackson hopes to learn how an environmentally-focused government can benefit wildlife conservation. The renowned Singapore Zoo will offer a model of how such organizations contribute to conservation. South African artists will offer a window into the power of art to win supporters. In Chile, Jackson plans to explore the role that ecotourism plays in wildlife conservation. He plans to spend his time in Ireland studying habitat restoration efforts in areas where the natural world ecosystem has already been thoroughly altered or eliminated through human activity.

“Across disciplines, conservationists share the crucial task of inspiring others to care. My project will explore the diverse ways they approach this challenge,” he said. “Ultimately, this experience will equip me with the skills and knowledge to make a meaningful impact.”

Wheaton’s Scholar Development Advisory Committee (SDAC) supports students and recent alumni in applying for a wide range of competitive fellowship opportunities. For more information, visit our Fellowship & Scholarship Development website or email SDAC Coordinator, Professor Winter Jade Werner.