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It’s going to be a whirlwind week for graduating senior Anna Garren.

On May 10, she moves into her first apartment. Five days later, she’ll don cap and gown at George Mason �鶹����’s EagleBank Arena to receive her bachelor of science degrees in public administration, from the��, and computational and data science from the College of Science.

Three days after that, she starts her new job at the Reston, Virginia-based government contracting giant Leidos, where she’ll work in the Artificial Intelligence Accelerator.

And the very next day, she begins her master’s degree program in artificial intelligence at Johns Hopkins �鶹����’s Whiting School of Engineering.��

Garren, 21, is used to managing big transitions with poise and purpose. She grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, home of George Mason, but she began her college career more than 200 miles away, at Roanoke College, where she was a third-generation student and her grandfather, Kenneth R. Garren, had been a dean (he retired in 2001).��

Initially a computer science major, she quickly realized she wanted a broader, more interdisciplinary focus. She transferred to George Mason as a sophomore and declared a double major in computational and data sciences and public administration.��

“I always knew I wanted to go into STEM,” she said. “But after taking government classes in high school, I added the political science aspect.”

She was further inspired by the passing of her high school legislative bill project—regarding a special needs indicator on state vehicle registration—actually being passed into law by the Virginia legislature.

That hybrid identity—analytical and civic-minded—has been her hallmark at George Mason. And at the Schar School, Garren found not just challenging coursework but a welcoming and supportive community.��In fact, the community she found was a higher education highlight for her.

“Definitely the relationships I made with my professors and peers,” she said when asked what stands out from her time there, adding that her two terms as part of Associate Professor���� was a particular highlight.��

In that setting, Garren, who was also a teaching assistant, was part of a collaborative environment where undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty work on real-world political science research—sometimes for credit but always for impact.

Not surprisingly, Garren has made an impression on one of her professors.

“Anna’s eagerness to meet the world’s challenges head-on should make the world’s challenges very nervous,” said Victor, the university’s 2025 Faculty Mentor Excellence Award winner. (An aside: Garren is the 2025 OSCAR Student Excellence Award winner.)

“She is a remarkable student,” Victor added. “Her combination of deep knowledge and interest in politics and government combined with her incredible skills in computational and statistical programming make her one of the most sought after students I’ve ever worked with.”

Outside the classroom, Garren took her passion for technology and education into the community, volunteering as coach for the robotics team at Centreville High School, her alma mater. During peak season, the team, a certified nonprofit organization that offers STEM training to middle and elementary schools, consumed about 20 uncompensated hours a week. The squad also competes in the prestigious international FIRST Robotics competitions.

“It’s a lot,” she agreed in a tone that mixes understatement and pride, adding that she also substitutes on occasion as a teacher at the school.

In addition to her double-major course work, her volunteer hours with Victor’s lab, and her high school robotics club, Garren completed four summer internships at various units of the Department of Defense.

Ask her what she’ll miss most about George Mason and her answer is fast—“the Schar School,” specifically the people and the intellectual exploration of government and politics, even as she pivots into the sharper tools of data science and AI.��

“The Schar School degree really helped expand my worldview,” she said. “The type of brainwork in data science is different than in political science classes, and I’ll miss that.”