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UMW Graduates Earn Fulbright Awards for Teaching and Research Around the World

With encouragement from dedicated faculty mentors and ambition to aim for top honors, University of Mary Washington students are continuing a strong tradition of earning Fulbright awards – one of the nation’s most prestigious international exchange honors.

This year, four recent graduates will teach and conduct research around the world, reflecting both their academic achievements and the close mentorship that helped them pursue opportunities beyond campus. The alumni, including those who majored in biology, English, history and international affairs, will disperse across Europe and into Western Asia to fill coveted spots promoting cultural understanding and international relationships.

More than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and other professionals have been selected for the Fulbright Program based on academic merit and leadership potential. With this year’s awards, the total number of Mary Washington recipients continues to grow, approaching 40 alumni who have earned Fulbright honors.

“Fulbright awards provide an excellent entrée to international careers, with past alumni going on to enter U.S. government service, teach English as a second language internationally, conduct advanced scientific research and complete advanced graduate degrees,” said Professor of Middle East History Nabil Al-Tikriti, who serves as a Fulbright Program advisor at UMW. “Some alumni have remained abroad since winning their Fulbright grants, while others have returned to the U.S. to launch successful careers in education, government service and research following their Fulbright service.”

Valentine Cotton ’26 has received an English Teaching Assistant Fulbright Award in Bulgaria. Inspired by their time as an au pair in Germany before college and as an exchange student in South Korea during junior year, they decided to continue working abroad, thanks to the encouragement of faculty advisors.

“Go for it, and take advantage of the resources available to you here! UMW’s Fulbright advisors are extremely supportive and helpful,” said Cotton, who came to Mary Washington from Mechanicsville, Virginia. “If you’re able to do so, definitely consider studying abroad as well. The advisors at [the Center for International Education] can help you find the perfect program fit for you, and I’m a firm believer that travel is always worth your while.”

Cotton had lots of encouragement and inspiration from Al-Tikriti and his fellow UMW Fulbright Program advisor, Professor of Biology Dianne Baker, both of whom have been Fulbright Scholars during their faculty careers. Baker received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant in 2014-15 to conduct research at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Al-Tikriti has received three Fulbright fellowships.

Now each year, they help a dozen or so students and alumni navigate the application cycle, and they note that more could apply. They already have the education and experiences, with internships, study abroad and undergraduate research as hallmarks of a Mary Washington education.

Cotton’s accomplishments include serving as president of UMW’s Creative Writing Club since the spring of their first year, as well as having been published in the Aubade literary magazineseveral times. They completed an Honors Capstone project focused on German poetry translation in fall 2025 and graduated in spring 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in English, completing UMW’s Secondary Education program too.

After the Fulbright grant year, Cotton plans to teach high school English and travel as much as possible, with the eventual goal of moving to a German-speaking country.

Charlotte Niblett ’26 will continue her studies in Germany this fall, through a Fulbright Research Award. She has applied to Freie Universität Berlin for the master’s program in archaeology of the ancient world, after earning a bachelor’s degree from UMW in 2026 with a major in history and a minor in museum studies.

This summer, she will attend an archaeological field school in Cortona, Italy, followed by Koç University’s Ancient Languages of Anatolia Summer Program in Istanbul, Turkey, adding to her many accomplishments from her undergraduate degree. 

She completed a thesis titled “High-Priestesses in the Cult of Deified Kings: Roles and Functions from the Early Dynastic Period to the Third Dynasty of Ur,” published in Columns: The Mary Washington Humanities and Social Science Journal, and presented at the Virginia Social Sciences Association Undergraduate Research Conference Presentation (spring 2026) and the Middle East Studies Association Undergraduate Research Workshop Presentation (fall 2025).

She credits Professor Al-Tikriti’s Opportunities Abroad class as the impetus she needed to apply for the Fulbright, which will now create the next step for the Lynchburg, Virginia, native to continue her studies around the world. And, she notes how the UMW Department of History and American Studies, and the University itself, will still feel like home, not just for her but for her grandmother, who also graduated from Mary Washington.

For Morgan Hicok ’25, one of her Mary Washington mentors connected her directly to Norway and the Fulbright award that will fund her way back there.

“There were plenty of people and experiences that pushed me to pursue my goal of earning a Fulbright award,” said Hicok, who has earned a Fulbright Research Award. “I would definitely like to shoutout both Dr. [Abbie] Tomba and Dr. Baker, whom I got to know very well during my time at UMW. Dr. Tomba was my research professor from the beginning of my sophomore year up until the end of my senior year. She guided me through my aquatic ecology research project during which I researched snails in the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers in Fredericksburg. We became very close during our many ‘snail sampling’ trips to the river. Dr. Baker, being a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Norway herself, encouraged me to apply during my time working with the UMW Summer Science Institute.” Ultimately, Baker connected Hicok with her colleagues at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, who agreed to host her and worked with her to develop a research project.

In addition to intensive undergraduate research, Hicok earned several scholarships at Mary Washington, including the Theresa Valade Conservation Leadership Scholarship and the UMW Biology Scholarship. She served as community service chair for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and played on the UMW women’s soccer team.

Hailing from Burke, Virginia, Hicok currently works for a nonprofit biotech company, Noblis, where she plans to return following the Fulbright and then plans to pursue a Ph.D.

Sarah Eltayeb ’23 grew up abroad and has jumped at each chance to travel since graduating. Now calling Fairfax, Virginia, home, the international affairs major, with a minor in Middle East studies, also credits Al-Tikriti as her mentor and advisor. He first put the opportunity on her radar, as she seeks something long-term to add to her résumé for grad school. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood education and work in the Middle East. Her Fulbright experience will take place in Azerbaijan, at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe.

As they embark on their Fulbright journeys, these graduates join a global network working to build mutual understanding across cultures – an effort rooted both in the Fulbright mission and in Mary Washington’s commitment to engaged, purposeful learning.

UMW students are encouraged to contact Drs. Al-Tikriti and Baker to begin their Fulbright application their senior year.