Liberty University announces five Fulbright recipients

Four students and one faculty member from Liberty University have received Fulbright grants that will sanction them around the globe to work, teach, and research.

This is the second year Liberty has collected five Fulbright recipients (2019). The announcement follows a record nine Fulbright semi-finalists this year.

Winners of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program include government student Jonathan Dumdei, who will be an English Teaching Assistant in Ecuador; history student James Knight, who will research and study in Romania; modern languages student Brielle Marlow, who will study in Indonesia; and recent business and pastoral leadership graduate David Walker, who will study in Cambodia.

Liberty’s faculty finalist is Dr. Laura Jones, a professor in the School of Education, who will be researching and teaching in Romania.

“Being a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Finalist is an honor,” said Jones, who will teach both undergraduate and graduate students at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the only university in Romania offering a doctoral program in education. “The people at the Fulbright Commission are so very helpful and I am thankful for this great opportunity to teach and live in Romania for the Spring 2023 semester.”

All Fulbright applications are processed through the Helms School of Government, which has maintained a strong reputation of helping students and faculty apply for and obtain Fulbright and other prestigious international scholarships.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m so excited for the new opportunities it offers for growth and service, and that I can represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador,” Dumdei said. “I’m also deeply humbled that I was selected knowing all the work the others have put in to help me get here. It was hard to believe and overwhelming when I first heard the news.”

Jones also thanked Dr. Edna Udobong, Liberty’s Fulbright liaison, and the Helms School of Government.

“They have provided a great deal of support and advice through the process and have helped me to make some critical connections,” she said. “Dr. Udobong works tirelessly with the Fulbright committee helping students and professors through the rather challenging process of completing grant applications. I also thank the School of Education for their support and their understanding in allowing me to have off for the Spring 2023 semester while I teach abroad. I hope that I can now help others and challenge others as Liberty University has helped and challenged me to grow as a scholar.”

The Fulbright 2023-24 grant application is open. Contact Udobong at eudobong3@liberty.edu to learn more about the application process. For more information, visit the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.