Windows: Borderlands (Spring 2020)

Senior students recognized for excellence I t is a long-standing and much-anticipated tradition at the Austin Seminary Association banquet to learn the identity of the graduating seniors selected by the faculty to receive special awards. These fellowships recognizing excellence in academics, character, and promise for ministry include The David L. Stitt Alumni Association Fellowship, The Pile-Morgan Fellowship, The Janie Maxwell Morris Fellowship, The AlsupFrierson Fellowship for Excellence in Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics, and The W. P. Newell Memorial Fellowship. Meet the 2020 fellowship winners here and learn why their professors found them worthy.

Jean Corbitt | Conway, Arkansas David L. Stitt Fellowship | $18,000 prize

“Jean Corbitt is already a star theologian because she understands that bearing witness to mystery requires respecting— and navigating—seemingly paradoxical tensions … She recently identified ‘what if?’ questions as the only questions that bring us closer to God: ‘What ifI’m wrong? What ifmiracles happen? What ifdeath isn’t the end?’ she asks. Thank you, Jean, for welcoming angels into your head, for being fearless about seeking value in the most traditional voices ofthe Christian tradition, and for being fearless, also, about challenging them.”

–Professor Cynthia Rigby

Usama Malik | Round Rock, Texas Pile-Morgan Fellowship | $8,000 prize

“It is an extraordinary step out ofbounds for a Muslim to come to a Christian seminary. Usama has moved the boundary and made it feel entirely ordinary. He comes to chapel, and even when he can’t join in words or actions, he is never not participating, always fully present to the holiness ofthe time and place. It is because ofall this—his energy, his delight, his participation, his wisdom, and his commitment, that a Christian student body chose this Muslim to be their president. The surprise is that it was not surprising.”

Nick Demuynck | Greensboro, North Carolina Janie Maxwell Morris Fellowship | $5,000 prize

“As a student, Nick is ‘all in’—a thoughtful participant who is always alert to the other voices in the room … I have appreciated his maturity, his calm and assuring presence, his clarity ofinsight, and his consistent friendliness. I will miss him here next year; I am grateful that he will bring a wise, pastoral, and nurturing spirit wherever he is called.”

–Professor Eric Wall

Jackie Freeman | San Antonio, Texas Alsup-Frierson Fellowship for Excellence in Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics | $3,500 prize

“Jackie attends to the biblical text with care and thoughtfulness, bringing all ofher life experience to bear in her interpretation for the church and God’s people. Her reading reflects a pastoral sensibility to interpreting, preaching, and teaching the Bible with a keen eye toward justice for God’s people.” –Professor Margaret Aymer

Lee Legault | Austin, Texas W. P. Newell Memorial Fellowship | $3,000 prize

“Lee is a perceptive reader who asks questions that others are too timid to ask. She knows that the journey is as important as the destination. Her deep appreciation ofthe mystical tradition makes others realize that our experience ofGod’s love is always beyond words. Wherever the journey takes Lee, she will always invite others into the beauty and mystery ofGod.” – Professor David Jensen