Our World Underwater – The Rolex Scholarship

Currently there are three Rolex Scholarships: North America, Europe, and Australasia. Each Rolex Scholarship provides a hands-on introduction to underwater and other aquatic-related endeavors for a young person considering a career in an underwater-related discipline. One scholar is selected from each of the three regions and each scholar spends approximately one year working side by side with current leaders in underwater fields. Each scholar travels primarily within their region, but may have opportunities throughout the underwater world. The range of experiences may include active participation in field studies, underwater research, scientific expeditions, laboratory assignments, equipment testing and design, photographic instruction, and other specialized assignments.

Scholars pursue activities in their chosen disciplines during the one-year period between Our World Underwater Scholarship Society® annual spring meetings. Experiences may last from a few days to over a month. At the conclusion of each experience, the scholar moves on to another, so the scholarship year involves extensive travel.

The scholar is literally on the road from spring-to-spring with very little time at a home base. Scholars spend most of the year with the society’s friends, hosts, and coordinators around the world. The experiences vary from year to year depending upon the scholar’s interests and the availability of expeditions and hosts’ opportunities. These experiences make up the real heart of the scholarship. The opportunity to join a host’s daily activities exposes the scholar to the realities of the host’s special pursuits.

Each of the three Rolex Scholarships has a coordinator who works with the scholar to organize their itinerary – emphasizing breadth of experience, but tailoring the itinerary to the individual scholar’s background and interests. These itineraries include time with specialists in such areas as biology, hyperbarics, anthropology, filmmaking and photography, and archaeology. Scholar hosts include scientists, engineers, filmmakers, and diving professionals, among others. Visits to dive operations, classes in underwater photography, and working with conservation organizations are also typical experiences.

These experiences provide the scholars with a broad overview of careers in the underwater world. Scholars may spend varying lengths of time investigating:

The global underwater community sees the selected North American, European, and Australasian scholars as individuals with the potential to make significant contributions to the underwater world even though they may not have yet chosen a specific career path. During the course of the year, exposure to a wide array of types of work and the chance to actually jump in and experience specific jobs provides scholars with invaluable career-deciding opportunities.

The scholarship emphasizes hands-on experience in activities that will contribute to a well-rounded education and a broad network of contacts.