Graduation

George Mason honors a record number of graduates at Spring Commencement

Katarina Benson — Mon, 12 May 2025 13:11:46 +0000

George Mason honors a record number of graduates at Spring Commencement Katarina Benson Mon, 05/12/2025 - 09:11

George Mason �鶹�� will celebrate Spring Commencement on Thursday by honoring a record-setting number of students earning degrees, and nearly 11,800 students total will be recognized for earning degrees or certificates.

Class of 2025 graduates represent 117 countries, 49 states, and the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and military installations.

The ceremony is set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Tickets are required for guests to enter the arena. Graduates may access tickets here. For questions email gmuevent@gmu.edu. The event also will be livestreamed.

George Mason, the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia, will award 11,268 degrees for graduates who have filed an intent to graduate from Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 as of May 1. The university also will award 531 certificates.

Martina Cheung, president and CEO of S&P Global, is the featured speaker. Duy Ha Vu, graduating with degrees in public administration and business, is the student speaker.

The Class of 2025 is prepared to fill critical positions in the region and state’s workforce—41% of undergraduates are in STEM fields and the health sciences, as are 48% of those earning graduate degrees.

Commencement also will highlight George Mason’s mission of access and opportunity. About 1 in 4 graduates reports that they will be first-generation degree earners.

George Mason graduates have been successful in landing jobs. According to a Mason Career Plans Survey and supplemental data, 85% of Class of 2024 George Mason graduates had a positive career outcome at or within six months of graduation, with a median salary of $70,000.

The top five majors among the 6,875 undergraduates in the Class of 2025 are business; information technology; computer science; psychology; and criminology, law and society.

For the 3,828 students earning master’s degrees, the top five majors are data analytics engineering, computer science, special education, curriculum and instruction, and business administration.

The top majors for the 400 students earning doctoral degrees are education, psychology, computer science, economics, and conflict analysis and resolution. There will be 170 doctoral candidates individually recognized at Commencement. Graduates receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees will be recognized as a group at their seats.

There are 165 Scalia Law School graduates. The law school will hold degree celebration ceremonies Saturday, May 17, at 1:30 pm at the Concert Hall.

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Campus News

How resilience, caring, and lived experience created a social worker

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 08 May 2025 20:05:41 +0000

How resilience, caring, and lived experience created a social worker Mary Cunningham Thu, 05/08/2025 - 16:05

Before she ever considered social work as a profession, Rocío Rodríguez Morales was already an advocate for her family, starting at a young age.

Growing up in Southern California as the oldest of five in a Mexican American home, Rodríguez acted as her family’s unofficial translator and guide—managing doctor’s appointments, school meetings, and social services. “I was doing things most children don’t have to do,” she said.

Rocio Rodríguez, MSW '25. Photo by Madalyn Julianna

In high school, Rodríguez’s parents encouraged her to seek out support through the federally funded TRIO program, a college access initiative run through local universities that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds. “They said, 'I don’t know how to teach you about financial aid, so go ask the lady you see every Saturday.'"

The program opened doors for her to tour college campuses, spend summers in dorms, and get help with tutoring and admissions.

Rodríguez became the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, then a master's in education from the �鶹�� of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Her background led her to roles assisting military families and helping students navigate college and financial aid. But in 2020, when she took a job as a case manager for Exodus Recovery—a California nonprofit serving veterans, Medicaid patients, and people facing housing instability—her path came into focus. “I called my parents and said, ‘I found a job doing what I’ve always done: helping people,’” she said.

The team surrounding her, meanwhile, was packed with social workers. "All of them kept telling me, 'You should become a social worker, too. Just do it.'"

“That was my community”

When life as a Marine Corps spouse uprooted her young family cross country to Virginia, Rodríguez enrolled in the online Master of Social Work (MSW) program at George Mason �鶹��. By that point, it was clear that the formal degree wasn’t just an option—it was a necessity. “Doors for jobs kept closing because I didn’t have my MSW,” she said. “And I needed a career I could carry with me, wherever life took us.”

She began her degree during one of the most tumultuous periods of her life in 2022. Isolated from loved ones out West and newly pregnant with her third child, she was helping her husband recover from an injury that led to his medical retirement while also coping with her mother’s immigration challenges. “It was a very vulnerable time,” she said.

Rodríguez reached out to George Mason faculty for support—not knowing exactly what she needed, just knowing she couldn’t do it alone. “I finally sent that email saying, ‘I need help,’” she says—and in return she found empathy, flexibility, and guidance toward resources.

The Mason Community-Academic Partnerships in Behavioral Health (CAP-BH) Program in the Department of Social Work’s became her anchor, providing a $10,000 stipend, training in trauma-informed care and telehealth, and virtual reality-based therapy simulations. She found herself part of a close-knit cohort of about 30 peers.

“That was my community,” Rodríguez said.

Behind the scenes, her husband was a steady source of support. “There were days I’d rush from dropping off the kids straight into a Zoom class, and my husband would be sliding a coffee or plate of food next to me," she said.

Making it official

As Rodríguez worked toward her degree, her career in Virginia expanded. She first led the education arm of a foster care company for unaccompanied children at Adore Children and Family Services, then started conducting foster parent home studies. Since August 2023, she has served as program director for Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area’s (LSSNCA) specialized foster care program, helping place unaccompanied refugee minors in safe and supportive homes.

She’s seen the impact firsthand, like with the young man in her program who’s now pursuing a college degree, supporting his recently resettled family, and taking on a “big brother role” to the new kids at LSSNCA. “He shares what worked for him with others,” she said. “That’s exactly what we want.”

Rodríguez will officially become a social worker on May 15, the day she graduates from George Mason. The same week, she will take the podium as the College of Public Health’s student degree celebration speaker.

From there, she’ll begin logging 3,000 clinical hours, part of her long-term goal to one day open her own practice. “There’s so much stigma around mental health, especially in the communities I care about,” she said. “I want to build a practice that feels safe for military families and Spanish-speaking families."

Rodríguez is even nudging her husband to consider joining her in the field. “I keep telling him, ‘You’ve been my partner through all of this—you’d make a great social worker, too,’” she said.

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George Mason student uses his passion for filmmaking to give back

Colleen Rich — Wed, 07 May 2025 19:43:49 +0000

George Mason student uses his passion for filmmaking to give back Colleen Rich Wed, 05/07/2025 - 15:43

George Mason �鶹�� Film and Video Studies student James Bah will graduate with a pretty impressive resumé.

James Bah (center right) directing his senior film, The Lick. Photo provided

At the 2024 Best of Film at George Mason showcase, he screened his music video, The Show, which he directed for rapper Bobby Feeno, also known as former NFL running back Arian Foster. Bah, who was a content creator and uploading his own videos, met Foster when they were both streaming on the platform Twitch, and made a cameo appearance in the video.

“He reacted to one of my videos and we eventually got acquainted. I started editing content for him when I was still in high school,” said Bah, who is from Washington, D.C.

Bah traveled to Houston to direct the music video. “It was a fantastic experience and it still feels surreal that it happened. It was also my first time participating in Best of Film and a lot of people seemed to really enjoy it.”

The music video was also featured at the Washington West Film Festival in October.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts senior started off with an editing concentration before transitioning to a directing focus. “As a kid I didn't have cable, so I would watch highlights on YouTube and then I started to recreate those highlights and really got into editing,” said Bah.

After attending predominantly Black schools growing up, Bah wanted to connect with other Black filmmakers, “so I founded the Black Filmmakers Association (BFMA), whose mission is to bring together Black storytellers on campus,” said Bah.

James Bah (left) directing a film project. Photo provided

“A lot of the times you’ll see the same producers, directors, and cinematographers working on multiple projects together. The experience of being on set, that networking and collaborative culture, is essential in the film industry. BFMA provides us with those kinds of opportunities to get more projects on our reels,” said Bah, who is the president of the organization.

In addition to the Best of Film showcase, Bah has participated in numerous George Mason film events, either featuring his own work or supporting the work of his peers and professors.

In 2024, Bah was the moderator for Professor Nikyatu Jusu’s film Nanny at George Mason’s Visiting Filmmakers Series. “I was nervous at first, but I’d watched the film multiple times and we have a good relationship, so after a while it just turned into a conversation and was smooth sailing from there,” said Bah.

“Professor Jusu has been such an instrumental figure into my development and into my craft. I joke all the time that she’s my ‘auntie’ because we're both Sierra Leonian,” said Bah, who took FAVS 475 Advanced Fiction Directing with Jusu.

Bah said his early academic advisor Lori Yi and current BFMA faculty advisor Leonard Collins were also really impactful in supporting him throughout his academic journey.

“James is a really passionate filmmaker. I’ve enjoyed so many of his projects, but my favorite is his senior thesis project, The Lick, about the challenges of growing up in Southeast D.C. Even with just the first draft, I was in awe. He has a gift and he has something special with this film,” said Leonard Collins, BA Film and Video Studies ’20, a FAVS adjunct professor and teaching assistant.

“I see James giving back to the students of George Mason and his community as an award-winning director, producer someday,” said Collins.

Bah has already been on a professional set as a location assistant on the Academy Award-nominated Netflix film Rustin. He learned about the opportunity while working at the nonprofit Life Pieces to Masterpieces as a videographer and mentor to grade school students.

“Location assistants are next to production assistants where they're essentially handymen doing what’s needed in order to keep everything on set moving. I spent a couple of weeks working 14-to-16-hour days on set. It was a lot of work, but I loved the experience. I was grateful for the opportunity and I had a blast,” said Bah.

In addition to working at Life Pieces to Masterpieces, Bah also worked at George Mason’s Student Technology Assistance and Resource Lab, and did digital storytelling work for Project Create and CityWorks D.C.

“After graduation, I hope to be working with an organization where I can use my creative ambition to give back to community and help others by any means,” said Bah.

Explore Film and Video Studies at Mason

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At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George Mason’s youngest master’s graduate

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 17:21:14 +0000

At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George Mason’s youngest master’s graduate Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 13:21

Yevin Goonatilake hasn’t slowed down since becoming George Mason �鶹��’s youngest graduate with a 4.0 in December. In fact, he’s only picked up speed.

Now 16, the Leesburg, Virginia, native has added another milestone to his remarkable journey—completing a master’s degree in computer science, making him the youngest person in university history to do so.

Along the way, Goonatilake landed a job, earned his learner’s permit, and continued playing professional cricket—all while finishing graduate classwork that would challenge even seasoned scholars.

“Graduate life has definitely been a lot busier and more challenging,” he said. “These last few months have been the most demanding yet.”

Enrolled in the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program through the College of Engineering and Computing, Goonatilake appears on track to finish his master’s with the same 4.0 GPA he held as an undergraduate.

Yevin Goonatilake. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

“I’m proud to hold onto the record for the time being,” he said. “I’m sure it will be broken in the future, but it’s nice to be George Mason’s youngest ever master’s graduate for now.”

Taking four graduate courses this semester—including three advanced-level classes—meant longer hours and greater expectations. But Goonatilake has proven he’s up for the challenge of graduate study.

“One of the biggest differences I noticed in the graduate program is that it requires more independence,” he said. “The specific implementation details are often left to you. The focus shifts from following set instructions to producing meaningful results.”

His academic interests have sharpened, too. He’s especially drawn to cryptography, which involves applying encryption and decryption schemes to messages in order to conceal them.

As a master’s student research assistant, Goonatilake is working with Computer Science Professor and Eminent Scholar Giuseppe Ateniese on cutting-edge research at the intersection of cryptography and large language models (LLMs). His current focus: cryptographic watermarking—embedding hidden signals in artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to identify its source.

Ateniese said he was “quite astonished” upon learning Goonatilake’s age.

“But age aside, I’m impressed by his maturity, diligence, and ability to grasp extremely complex topics,” he said. “I’m delighted to have him on my team, and I have no doubt that he will continue to achieve remarkable success.”

Despite a demanding schedule, Goonatilake remains committed to cricket, playing for the Baltimore Royals Sunny Sohail (BRSS) Cricket Academy, part of Minor League Cricket. He trains several times per week and played in winter tournaments this past year in both Tampa and Miami.

“Balancing academics and cricket has kept me a little busier than I would prefer,” he said. “But I need both. Cricket keeps me grounded and gives me the outlet to clear my mind, giving me something to look forward to outside of academics.”

Celebrating his 16th birthday earlier this year has made that balancing act a little easier: with a learner’s permit in hand, Goonatilake is beginning to practice driving. “Now that I have my permit, I have been trying to drive whenever I can,” he said with a smile.

As for what’s next? Goonatilake hopes to remain at George Mason in the fall to pursue a PhD in computer science.

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Students

Billups finishes his George Mason career with a record-setting season

Colleen Rich — Wed, 07 May 2025 12:38:17 +0000

Billups finishes his George Mason career with a record-setting season Colleen Rich Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:38

Senior and men’s basketball guard Jared Billups might have joined George Mason �鶹�� as a transfer student, but in his two years here, he has managed to leave a historic mark.

Billups, who is graduating this month with a bachelor’s degree in economics, is George Mason’s first conference Defensive Player of the Year since 2001 and was a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.

As captain, Billups helped lead the men’s basketball team to its best season in the program's Atlantic 10 history. With 15 A-10 league victories, the Patriots set a new university record and started league play 12-1 for the first time in the program's 59-year history.

With Billups leading the charge, the team’s Patriot Pressure defense also ranked in the Top 25 nationally this season, and the Patriots ranked third in the nation in field goal defense.

This year the A-10 Tournament was played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and Mason Nation packed the building to support the Patriots. The team locked up a double bye in the tournament for the first time and reached the conference title game for the first time since 2009. Behind Mason Nation's huge turnout, the A-10 Final became one of the top-3 highest attended games in the tournament's history.

Billups said the team could feel the love. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” he said about playing before a roaring arena. “The crowd is cheering for you and you’re playing well, and you just feel so good. I don’t think there is anything else like it in world.”

Billups started his college career playing basketball for Siena College in New York. He was interested in George Mason to be closer to family in Waldorf, Maryland, and because he wanted to play at a higher level. When he had the opportunity to visit campus, he said he knew he had found something special. “I just felt the love and support of the community here,” he said.

Billups admits that George Mason pushed him academically. He said that the George Mason Athletics makes sure everyone stays on course to graduate. “You care about your basketball. You care about your academics. You’ve got to be a whole person,” he said, adding that not all schools are like that.

While graduating is in some ways bittersweet for Billups—“We had an amazing season, and it was an amazing group of guys.”—he is looking toward the future and plans to play basketball professionally. He has already signed with an agent.

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Costello College of Business Announces Spring 2025 Degree Celebration Speakers

Jennifer Anzaldi — Tue, 06 May 2025 21:34:57 +0000

Costello College of Business Announces Spring 2025 Degree Celebration Speakers Jennifer Anzaldi Tue, 05/06/2025 - 17:34

The Costello College of Business at George Mason �鶹�� will be holding its Spring 2025 Degree Celebration on Friday evening, May 16, 2025. This year’s degree celebration will include remarks from the President and CEO of NABA Inc., Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Relations ’94.

Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Relations ’94

NABA Inc. is the premier organization dedicated to advancing professionals in accounting, finance, business, and entrepreneurship. With a dynamic network of more than 25,000 members, NABA champions the development of exceptional talent, drives innovation across industries, and cultivates a culture of excellence. Through education, access to opportunity, and strategic career connections, NABA empowers its members to lead boldly today while inspiring the next generation of leaders. The NABA-George Mason chapter holds a high interest in students who possess a strong sense of civic responsibility, a desire for excellence both inside and outside of the classroom, as well as those who are interested in promoting opportunities for all in the fields of accounting, finance, and other business-related professions.

Guylaine Saint Juste is a globally recognized transformational leader who delivers measurable impact by reimagining systems, expanding opportunity, and catalyzing growth. As President and CEO of NABA, Inc., she has led a bold transformation of the organization—modernizing its infrastructure, embracing digital innovation, and embedding strategic focus throughout its operations. Under her leadership, NABA has experienced explosive growth, expanding its membership fivefold—from 5,000 to over 25,000—and increasing annual revenue from $4 million to $18 million. Today, NABA is recognized as a high-performing, mission-driven organization with a national footprint and growing influence across sectors.

Guylaine has been recognized as one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting for four consecutive years. She has also been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor for three consecutive years, including 2024—a testament to her far-reaching impact. With over two decades of experience driving organizational growth and fostering equity, Guylaine’s career reflects her unwavering commitment to closing opportunity gaps and building inclusive systems that create lasting change.

Before joining NABA, Guylaine served as Executive Director of the National Capital Region for Year Up, where she connected more than 2,000 young adults with life-changing career opportunities. Her earlier career includes a successful tenure as Virginia Market Executive and Senior Vice President at Capital One, where she led market expansion and oversaw a $1.1 billion deposit base.

During her degree celebration address, Ms. Juste will speak to undergraduate and graduate degree recipients on their responsibility to lead in a complicated world—and how AI, Generative AI, and Agent AI tools will help them to focus on strategy, innovation, and human connections. And, as a George Mason alumna, her remarks on the importance of human connections in leadership are also expected to echo her alma mater’s definition of kindness: “intentionally engage in positive action that is friendly, caring, and compassionate towards self and others.”

Following Ms. Saint Juste’s remarks, Sarah Oulton, BS Criminology, Law and Society ’21, MS Accounting, Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting ’25, will deliver the graduating student address.

Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter President Kevin Connor, MBA ’22, will deliver the alumni address prior to the recognition of graduating students.

The Spring 2025 Business Degree Celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. in EagleBank Area on the Fairfax campus of George Mason �鶹��. Tickets are required for each guest over the age of two years. Visit the George Mason �鶹�� Degree Celebrations website for more information.

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Graduation

From public health to the boardroom: Dean Melissa Perry’s MBA journey reflects the future of higher education

Greg Johnson — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:41:18 +0000

From public health to the boardroom: Dean Melissa Perry’s MBA journey reflects the future of higher education Greg Johnson Mon, 05/05/2025 - 14:41

In This Story

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

Melissa Perry, ScD, MHS, Dean of George Mason �鶹��’s College of Public Health, will graduate this spring with her Costello MBA—her third graduate degree, earned while serving as a full-time dean, raising two children, and leading one of the largest and fastest-growing public health programs in the region.

Dean Melissa Perry

On its face, it’s a personal milestone—a story of resilience, grit, and lifelong learning. But it’s also something more: a symbol of the evolving nature of higher education leadership and the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration in a complex and rapidly changing world.

At 59, with decades of academic leadership under her belt, Perry didn’t need another degree. But she wanted one. Specifically, she wanted the tools to amplify the mission of public health through a deeper understanding of business strategy, finance, and systems thinking. And she wanted to walk in the shoes of her students—to experience the intensity, vulnerability, and growth that comes with sitting on the other side of the classroom.

“I pursued an MBA not because I was preparing to leave public health,” Perry said, “but because I wanted to lead it better.”

A Student by Night, a Dean by Day

Perry began her MBA in 2019 at George Washington �鶹��, taking synchronous online courses while working full time as a department chair. The demands of remote learning were immediate and intense. Asynchronous coursework—where material is delivered without live instruction—proved especially challenging.

“I discovered quickly that I learn best through discussion and connection,” she said. “Asynchronous formats made it harder to stay engaged, and with everything else I was juggling, I knew I needed a structure that mirrored a traditional classroom experience.”

When Perry transferred into George Mason’s MBA program in the Costello College of Business, she opted for in-person courses whenever possible. She found herself immersed in lively evening classes that offered the structure, energy, and peer interaction she craved—after full days spent leading faculty meetings, mentoring students, and managing the complex operations of a growing college.

Her children were just 7 and 12 when she began the program. And while her days stretched from early morning to late night, she credits her husband’s steadfast support with helping her stay focused and grounded. “He was my rock,” she said. “He kept everything running smoothly at home and made sure I had the space and encouragement to keep going.”

The tech demands were also no small feat. Leading a college through pandemic-era digital transformations while simultaneously keeping up with group chats, shared documents, Zoom sessions, and collaborative MBA tools made multitasking a full-time art form. “I was toggling between college-wide dashboards and team Slack messages,” Perry recalled. “There were moments I wondered how many tabs one person could have open at once.”

But through it all, she stayed present—and determined.

Training the Next Generation of Public Health Leaders

While navigating her Costello MBA, Perry brought to the classroom more than just executive experience—she brought the insight of someone who has trained thousands of students over the course of a 35-year career. As a professor, mentor, and principal investigator, she has led a successful public health laboratory that has served as a training ground for cadres of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.

Her passion for mentorship and education has been central to her career. From the laboratory bench to the lecture hall to the boardroom, Perry has devoted her professional life to building up others, equipping them with the skills and confidence to lead in the public health field.

“Watching students evolve into independent thinkers and leaders has always been the most rewarding part of my work,” she said. “Taking on the role of student again reminded me just how transformative that experience can be.”

Blending Mission and Metrics

A scientist by training—with a Doctor of Science and Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins—Perry has long been grounded in data, rigor, and public service. But as she stepped into broader leadership roles, she saw firsthand the gaps that emerge when great ideas meet operational realities.

“Public health professionals are exceptional at solving complex problems,” she said. “But we need fluency in the language of business to scale those solutions—whether we’re running health departments, nonprofits, academic institutions, or startups.”

Her MBA program provided the missing pieces: advanced financial modeling, strategic planning, operational systems, marketing frameworks. It wasn’t about abandoning her mission—it was about making it sustainable. It also pushed her to think differently about impact.

“In business school, you learn how to think in terms of value creation,” she said. “In public health, we think in terms of lives improved. When you combine those perspectives, you unlock entirely new ways of approaching social good.”

Forging Cross-College Collaboration at George Mason

Perry brought that mindset with her to George Mason �鶹�� when she was named the inaugural dean of the College of Public Health. Almost immediately, she began building bridges—not just between faculty and students, but across disciplines and colleges.

One of her earliest initiatives was to host the leadership team from George Mason’s Costello College of Business. She invited them into public health classrooms and simulation labs, not just to showcase what the College of Public Health was building, but to spark conversations about shared purpose, complementary strengths, and collaborative potential.

“There’s no real daylight between our missions,” Perry said. “The business of health—workforce, sustainability, innovation—requires both of us at the table.”

That cross-college partnership is emblematic of Perry’s approach to leadership: not siloed, but integrated; not transactional, but transformational. As she often notes, the great challenges of our time—mental health, health equity, workforce development, aging populations—demand new models of education and action that cross traditional academic boundaries.

The Full Circle Moment

In a meaningful twist, Perry’s MBA will be conferred by the dean of the Costello College of Business, Ajay Vinzé—her colleague, collaborator, and friend. It’s more than ceremonial. It’s a symbol of the university’s vision for a more collaborative future and a celebration of the value that comes from interdisciplinary leadership.

It’s also deeply personal. Perry began her MBA not to prove anything to anyone, but because she believed it would stretch her—and it did. Now, as she returns to her students, faculty, and staff with fresh skills and a wider lens, she does so with renewed energy and imagination.

Redefining What a Student—and a Leader—Looks Like

There’s power in this story for students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Perry’s path redefines what it means to be a student—not someone just beginning their journey, but someone who is always learning. And it reframes what it means to be a leader—not someone who has all the answers, but someone willing to ask new questions.

It also reminds us that careers, like learning, are nonlinear. They loop, stretch, and evolve. They make space for change. They’re allowed to be audacious.

Perry’s story is a George Mason story: grounded in access, elevated by ambition, and fueled by the belief that knowledge and community are transformative forces.

Looking Ahead

Now equipped with the perspectives of both scientist and strategist, Perry is turning her attention to what’s next. Her goals include advancing immersive technologies in public health education, strengthening interdisciplinary research, and positioning George Mason’s College of Public Health among the nation’s top programs.

But one thing will remain constant: her belief in people—students, colleagues, and communities—as the drivers of health and change.

“At the end of the day,” she says, “what matters most is that we’re helping others find their path, live with purpose, and grow into the leaders the world needs. That’s what this degree was about for me. And that’s what Mason is all about.”

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Graduating Senior Anna Garren: Commencement, Leidos, Hopkins, and Beyond

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 05 May 2025 16:17:31 +0000

Graduating Senior Anna Garren: Commencement, Leidos, Hopkins, and Beyond Andrew J Schappert Mon, 05/05/2025 - 12:17

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

Anna Garren: ‘The Schar School degree really helped expand my worldview.’ Photo by Jennifer N. Victor/Schar School of Policy and Government

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 Schar School of Policy and Government, 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 Jennifer N. Victor’s Politics Research Lab was a particular highlight.

Anna Garren, left, and mentor Associate Professor Jennifer N. Victor. Photo provided.

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.”

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Jennifer N. Victor

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Graduation

Q&A with Martina Cheung, Spring Commencement 2025 speaker

Katarina Benson — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:45:26 +0000

Q&A with Martina Cheung, Spring Commencement 2025 speaker Katarina Benson Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:45

Martina Cheung, president and CEO of S&P Global, will be the featured speaker at George Mason �鶹��’s Spring Commencement on May 15 at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus.

Martina Cheung. Photo provided

Can you share one piece of personal or professional advice you received that has influenced your life or career and that you would like to impart to this George Mason Class of 2025?

My advice is to take a long-term view when thinking about your career and when you’re making big decisions. If you get too caught up in the short term, you could lose sight of the larger and more important long-term opportunities.

Careers last decades. When you come to a crossroads, when you’re thinking about whether to take a job, stop and ask yourself: Where do I want to be in 10 years and what can I do over the next two to three years to help me get there? This will help you decide which way to go.

What is one thing every college student should do to set themselves up for success after graduation?

Network. Get involved, volunteer for projects, and find a mentor or trusted advisor. Mentors can be professors, aunts or uncles, or people in your professional lives. You want to look for people who will give you honest feedback and advice. And then make this relationship mutually beneficial. What I mean is that the relationship should not be one-way learning, from mentor to mentee. Graduates might be surprised that mentors are going to learn from them, too.

George Mason this spring rolled out a new model for universities to advance a responsible approach to harnessing artificial intelligence and driving societal impact. Where do you see AI five years from now?

GenAI is having profound and accelerating effects across all sectors of the economy and in society. We’re using it at S&P Global to be more productive and to create better experiences for our customers.

Companies and consumers are just at the beginning of tapping the potential of this technology. We are building toward a future where AI agents—systems that act autonomously and dynamically, selecting the actions needed to reach their goals—vastly improve consumers’ experiences by handling multistep, complex processes. In the financial services sector, that could mean AI agents will be able to perform quantitative data analysis for investors.

Some people are saying that GenAI is the end of the knowledge economy. I don’t see it that way. Now, more than ever, workers need to be lifelong learners. You want to be intellectually curious. Throughout our lives, we all should strive to acquire new skills and to be critical thinkers.

What was it about George Mason that led to S&P Global Ratings becoming a corporate partner with the university’s Costello College of Business? How can universities and industry, including S&P Global, best work together for the benefit of graduates and employers?

George Mason has a fantastic business school. It’s dynamic and prioritizes innovation and real-world applications. We learned about the school through President Washington, who serves on S&P Global’s Board of Directors.

�鶹�� partnership allows us to support scholarship and internship opportunities, as well as other student engagement activities. For example, we hosted students in New York at our global headquarters where they got to meet our analytical and research teams, who exposed students to our work on credit risk and the latest trends in financial markets.

Relationships between the private sector and higher education are essential for connecting students with people and experiences that will support their professional growth and development. Through internships and co-ops, students benefit from hands-on experience, allowing them to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings while gaining valuable skills. And businesses benefit from making connections with talented people who could ultimately become part of their teams.

You grew up in Ireland. What brought you to the United States and how did that experience influence your career path?

I came to the U.S. in 2000 to work on a consulting engagement because I had a skillset that was needed by a particular client. Following two successful client projects, I decided to transfer to the U.S. as I was part of a fast-growing, busy consulting team, doing exciting work for our clients.

My consulting career spanned 35 clients over 12 years across multiple industry segments. My final client was S&P Global. After I made the jump to S&P Global, I was fortunate to work in many positions around the company, which helped me to develop a holistic understanding of our customers and the important work that we do to provide essential intelligence to power their decisions. I led some of our largest and most successful growth projects along the way. Now, I am proud to be the CEO and excited for the next phase of growth and value creation at the company.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I’m excited to visit campus and speak with the Class of 2025. Congratulations, graduates! I’ll see you soon.

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This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s

Sarah Holland — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:40:51 +0000

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s Sarah Holland Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:40

Monika Blakely, BS Information Technology ’24, has lived all over the world, but her time at George Mason �鶹�� has been particularly special. From rowing with the women’s rowing team to working as an influencer with ShopMason, this soon-to-be double George Mason graduate has left her mark on Fairfax Campus.

Photo provided

Blakely plans to graduate in spring 2025 with a master’s in management from Costello College of Business, completed through the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

What inspired you to combine information technology and management?

My long-term goal is to be a project manager, and I think it’s useful to know both the technical side and the management side to understand how to be effective as a project manager. It also gives me the flexibility to do what I want in a different career path, if that ends up being right for me. I had extra spaces in my undergraduate classes, so I added the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program for management.

Tell me about your internships.

Currently I have two internships. The first is with Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED). I started there in fall 2023 as a social media intern. I thought local government was interesting. I’d never been involved in that industry before and wanted to learn more about who’s involved and what they do for the city. I figured I’d try it and see if I liked it, and I did! I became a marketing fellow with FCED in spring 2024, and I am now a part-time programs associate.

My second internship is with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). I’ve been a public relations intern there since summer 2024.

What classes would you say have set you up for success at your internships?

Senior Capstone, for one, because I think that’s been the most similar to real-world problem solving. We worked with different concentrations in the IT department. We had people doing web development, programming, cybersecurity, and so on, seeing how those different skill sets can contribute to that one broad end goal.

GBUS 653 Organizational Behavior has also been helpful, just learning about different learning styles, how your learning style can fit in with others, and so on.

How have your extracurriculars impacted your work in the classroom?

Teamwork and communication are probably the biggest things. In rowing, you have different parts of the boat, different strengths coming together, and you have to work to stay in sync. Sometimes when you work in a team, it’s not always ideal for you. You have to learn how to work with other people, how to adjust your learning style to fit with theirs, and how to make compromises with decisions that won’t be agreed on.

My roles at FCED and GDIT helped me improve my communication skills. Even if you don’t work within your team, you’re working with other sections, and you always have to cross-collaborate. So, with FCED and GDIT, you have people from different backgrounds and different departments, which taught me how to collaborate effectively across teams to deliver a clear, unified message.

ShopMason also helped strengthen my communication skills, because you’re constantly collaborating with students and departments across the university and you have to come together to share a clear and engaging message. That experience has helped me better contribute in classroom discussions, group projects, and presentations.

Blakely, 6th from left, with the staff of FCED. Photo provided.

What are you most proud of from your time at George Mason?

Being involved in different organizations and meeting a bunch of people I probably wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. I’ve been involved in organizations that reflect my culture and my studies, like the Japanese Student Association, the National Society for Black Engineers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Connecting with students similar to me has made the university experience worth it.

What makes George Mason special?

As the daughter of military service members, I’ve lived on different military bases around the world, and I think what makes George Mason special is that it has a space for everyone. There are cultural organizations, religious groups, interest groups...everyone can find a place to belong here, and that’s not the case everywhere.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

If there’s a skill you want to develop or an interest you have, pursue it in undergrad when you have the time and space to do so. You never know when those skills will be useful, and if you’re passionate about your work, people will notice.