Elon Men’s Soccer’s Waterman Awarded Fulbright to Teach in Malaysia

ELON, N.C. – Former Elon men’s soccer standout Jason Waterman ‘14 was recently honored as a recipient of the 2015-16 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship award and will spend a year in Asia starting next winter.

Waterman, who earned his degree in communication science with research interests in behavioral economics, will spend a year in Malaysia starting in January as part of a federal program that builds good will between the United States and people of other nations.

“It’s truly an honor to be chosen to represent the United States in Malaysia as a Fulbright recipient,” Waterman said. “I’m excited for the opportunity, not only as a way to continue to stretch my own comfort zone and understanding, but also as a way to build meaningful, productive relationships with the community in my role as both a cultural ambassador and educator.”

As a member of the Elon men’s soccer program that earned three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and three straight conference tournament championships, Waterman was an All-Conference selection the past two seasons. As a junior in 2013, the striker led the Phoenix in total points and goals scored while helping Elon hosts its first-ever NCAA Tournament event on its campus at the Division I level with its opening-round match against Clemson.

The Bloomington, Ind., native provided the game-winning penalty kick versus the Tigers and helped the Phoenix advance to the second round of the nation tournament for the first time in school history. After the conclusion of that season, Waterman received Academic All-American honors by Capital One and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Waterman also received other academic awards as well: an academic all-conference performer, President’s List, 2014 Most Outstanding Communication Science Student, membership in the Lamda Pi Eta and Psi Chi honor societies, Mahaffey Scholarship for International Service, Robert C. Browne Memorial Sportsmanship Award and the USA Weekend Make A Difference Award.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright was established in 1946 by Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”