For the third consecutive year, a Hollins University graduate has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grant.
Sophia Kunkel ’25 will spend 10 months in Kazakhstan as an English Teaching Assistant beginning in September 2026. She becomes Hollins’ fourth Fulbright Scholar in three consecutive years, continuing a remarkable streak of international recognition for the university’s students.
Kunkel earned a B.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing and a certificate in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) Studies. During the 2025 Fulbright competition cycle, she was one of two Hollins semifinalists, alongside Priscila Santiago Hernandez ’25.
When Kunkel learned in June 2026, that she had been selected for the Fulbright, she had already accepted admission to Old Dominion University’s M.F.A. program in creative writing. She chose to defer graduate study until fall 2027 to pursue the Fulbright opportunity.
“Fulbright’s focus on multicultural exchange is one of the highlights for me,” Kunkel said. “My mom was born and raised in the Republic of Georgia, and I was raised in a multicultural household. This is a tremendous learning opportunity for me.”
Kunkel’s long-term goal is to become a college professor while contributing to international education and global literacy initiatives. She views the Fulbright experience as an important step toward that future.
Hollins’ Fulbright Focus
Her success was supported by several Hollins faculty members, including English Professor T.J. Anderson, himself a Fulbright Scholar. He encouraged her to explore her family’s heritage through her writing, which sparked her interest in the Fulbright scholarship. Hollins Fulbright Program Advisor and Hollins E. Lineberger Ramberg Associate Professor of French Jeanne Jégousso worked closely with Kunkel throughout the application process.
“Sophia’s first application was excellent, and with feedback from several colleagues, she made it even stronger for the 2026 selection,” Jégousso said. “She is a superb student, and I’m absolutely delighted she gets to have this wonderful opportunity.”
“Sophia’s Fulbright reflects something we have built deliberately at Hollins: a growing culture of mentorship that prepares students to compete for the most selective national awards and to thrive across cultures,” added Laura McLary, Hollins Nora Kizer Bell Provost. “Her success shows what becomes possible when faculty guidance and a student’s own ambition meet. We are extraordinarily proud of her and grateful for the outstanding mentorship of our faculty, like Dr. Jégousso.”
Jégousso leads Hollins’ efforts to expand awareness of Fulbright opportunities through information sessions and individualized advising. Faculty mentors work closely with applicants from the early stages of proposal development through the October submission deadline.
“The goal is to make the process transparent and as stress-free as possible,” Jégousso said.
About Sophia Kunkel ’25
Kunkel began preparing her application during her senior year while completing a creative thesis (a fantasy novel inspired by Georgian folklore and mythologies) and serving as the founding president of the university’s first chapter of the Young Writers Initiative. She was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received several literary awards before graduating.
Since graduation, Kunkel has continued writing poetry and fiction while working in Pennsylvania and serving as a remote intern for the Georgian Association in the USA, where she helped create a literary magazine for members of the Georgia diaspora in the U.S.
“Hollins really helped me step up to the plate in terms of proposing the idea and seeing the project through to the end,” says Kunkel. “Hollins gave me the confidence to take on new opportunities that I never would have thought possible.”
As she prepares for her year in Kazakhstan, Kunkel has been learning more about the country’s history, culture, and literature.
“Kazakhstan is a very interesting blend of cultures,” she said. “Perspective changes really interest me. The writer Ocean Vuong talks about how writers should be taking risks. Being a Fulbrighter will be a rewarding leap.”
About Hollins University
Hollins University is a private liberal arts university set on a picturesque 475-acre campus in Roanoke, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historic community of Botetourt Springs, Hollins is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher education for women. Today, it enrolls approximately 800 undergraduate and graduate students and is nationally recognized for its academic excellence, creative focus, and dedication to developing women leaders.
Signature offerings include the Batten Executive Certificate in Leadership, a nationally competitive equestrian program, the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, the acclaimed Jackson Center for Creative Writing, and the Wyndham Robertson Library—designated Virginia’s first National Literary Landmark. The university’s historic Front Quadrangle is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
