Family affair: Freshman triplets proud to follow in siblings’ footsteps to Liberty

As triplets Todd, Kyle, and Brandon Brumagim arrived on Liberty University’s campus for the first time last semester, they followed in the steps of their three other siblings who decided to make Liberty home.

Growing up in Warrenton, Va., the Brumagim siblings have always been close. When the oldest, Kathleen, decided to attend Liberty and join the Lady Flames Soccer team in 2017, it was only a matter of time before her siblings followed suit.

“You come to campus, and you just fall in love with it,” Kathleen said. “It has that spiritual pull where you know that you will really be able to grow and be surrounded by real and authentic people.”

Her sister Ashley, a year younger, started college the following year and their brother JT started in 2020.

“Following (Kathleen), we were so close growing up,” Ashley said. “I would always come visit her and was put into the life of what being at Liberty would look like. I looked at a couple different schools, but honestly nothing compared.”

The blessing, the sisters said, is that they have been able to remain at Liberty to welcome their younger siblings to campus. Kathleen, who completed her bachelor’s in sport management in 2021 and her MBA in 2023, now serves as the director of operations for men’s and women’s soccer at Liberty. Ashley serves as a GSA for the School of Education and is completing an internship with Rustburg Middle School while she pursues a master’s in school counseling.

JT is in his junior year studying project management. The triplets, Todd, Kyle, and Brandon (the latter two are identical), are studying finance, business entrepreneurship, and electrical engineering, respectively.

The older siblings have dedicated time to ensuring that the triplets have had a smooth transition to college life, whether that includes helping them register for classes, find a local church, locate their classrooms, or anything else that they need.

“When we got here, we knew the campus pretty well already because of how much we had been here (to visit), but there were so many small things that they would help us out with,” Kyle said. “Just having someone take you through everything and help you settle in … that was one of the reasons I didn’t feel homesick at all when I left. I didn’t have any stresses because they helped take care of everything.”

“It was very refreshing because typically when you go to a new school, you have to make new relationships,” Todd added. “But, for me, I didn’t need to worry because I had them. And I’ve now been coming here for a while, so I know where everything is. When I got the in-depth tour of everything, it was pretty cool because I had the best tour guides.”

Although Kathleen was the only sibling to compete for an NCAA program, all the siblings have a passion for sports and use it as an even further means of building relationships with one another. Todd, Kyle, and JT compete on the same intramural Ultimate team, while Brandon and Kyle compete on the same intramural broomball team. Ashley and Kathleen both enjoy running as well as cheering on their favorite sports teams, specifically the Flames and Lady Flames, alongside their brothers.

The siblings also spend time with each other when their parents come to town, whether to tailgate before a Liberty Football game or to spend time at the family’s rental property at Smith Mountain Lake.

Although the triplets each live on different floors of Residential Commons III and their sisters live off campus, they often visit each other and through that have established even more connections in the Liberty community.

Kathleen, Ashley, and JT said they enjoy having a front row seat to watching the younger siblings grow up, and Todd, Kyle, and Brandon said they have easy access to their older siblings for advice and encouragement.

“All of my brothers, upon coming here, have developed and grown so much in their faith, in their characters, in their individuality, all of those different aspects,” Ashley said. “As an older sister, it is so fun getting to see them, knowing they are here, and getting to watch them grow.”

The Brumagims credited Liberty with helping them grow closer as a family and in their respective relationships with Christ through community groups, hall Bible studies, and worship services.

“Everyone was always telling me how the community is insane, and Liberty was a whole different place,” Brandon said. “But actually being here doesn’t compare to anything they’ve ever said. You can’t explain how big the community is and how Christ-centered, nice, and open everyone here is.”

Mark Brumagim, their father, said his goal as a parent is to ensure that his children grow in their relationship with Christ, citing 3 John 1:4 as the foundation of this desire to see them become Champions for Christ.

“People often ask me why I send my kids to college at all and how I pay for it,” he said. “My response is always if they attend LU and they meet Jesus face to face on campus, like really, really, get to have a spiritual encounter and feel His presence at this place, and that flames the foundation of a life sold out and they’re excited to trust and chase after Him, then I’m all in. I’ll work five jobs to pay them through, if necessary, because if that’s the outcome it’s all worth it.”

He said he has seen already seen the fruits of his labor through the strong relationships the siblings have with each other and the critical faith-building habits they have developed on campus, such as Scripture memorization, weekly church attendance, and daily devotionals.

“As a parent, there’s nothing that warms your heart more than knowing that you kids are getting together on their own to have dinner together and have church together on Sunday mornings. There’s nothing greater,” he said.

“I am so proud of LU and what it offers and how all six of our kids have plugged into the school,” he added. “Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Dr. Falwell, for your vision 53 years ago, and thank you to all who make Liberty the university it is today.”