Schar School

Internships helped this Mason grad hone in on her career goals

Colleen Rich — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:25:23 +0000

Internships helped this Mason grad hone in on her career goals Colleen Rich Thu, 12/08/2022 - 12:25

Aloana Hall knew she wanted to study and practice law. She also knew she did not want to work in juvenile defense because, as she thought, “It’s going to be so emotionally taxing.”

University Scholar Aloana Hall. Photo by Creative Services

But after her experience as a legal intern at the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, the government and international politics major at George Mason University changed her mind. Yes, working with juveniles was emotional, as she feared. “But it also is so rewarding,” she said, “and so I feel like I’m doing something good.”

Hall, a member of the Honors College and a University Scholar, added to her résumé with an internship at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Her Honors College research project, examining the drought and climate change in the West, was an eye-opener as well.

“I know a bit about climate change and rising sea levels because I’m from Virginia Beach, and it’s a problem,” Hall said. “It’s so strange the idea of not enough water in the West, and I’m worrying about too much water.”

What is your best memory of Mason?
One of my favorite memories from my time at Mason is the Spring 2022 Homecoming. Despite being in the middle of winter, it was a beautiful, warm day. I usually do not stay outside much during the winter, but I participated in the outdoor tailgate. It was great to see so many people showing school spirit and see some of my older friends who returned as alumni.

How have you grown while at Mason?
I have grown by challenging myself. I pushed myself to stay engaged and take on leadership positions in various organizations on campus. I also pushed myself to apply for internships, fellowships, and jobs despite feeling inadequate and underqualified. I have grown into someone who is not afraid to go outside their comfort zone and fail at times.

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?
I encourage incoming students to not let their college years pass them by. Most people are in college for only a few years. So, do not let great memories, relationships, and opportunities get away from you. Reach out to professors who are researching what you are interested in, start a conversation with the person sitting beside you in class, and go to the club-interest meeting even though you do not know anyone. It is easy to keep your head down, but try to push yourself.

What’s next for you?
I am in the process of applying to law school for fall 2023.

Topics

December graduate gives back to help students achieve their dreams

Colleen Rich — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 17:51:19 +0000

December graduate gives back to help students achieve their dreams Colleen Rich Thu, 12/09/2021 - 12:51

Arturo Barrera is the first in his family to attend college in the United States, but he knows he didn’t get there alone.

Arturo Barrera graduates with a bachelor's degree in conflict analysis and resolution on Dec. 16. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

In Bolivia, he said his parents overcame an unsafe social environment and political prejudices in finding employment. His mother persevered in becoming a doctor and psychologist, he said. His father, who studied business, came to the United States for a better life and worked multiple jobs—often at odd hours—to provide for his family.

“The amount of faith they had in each other to make it out of where they started blows me away,” Barrera said, adding that his parents’ college credits didn’t transfer to the United States. “They had hardships starting here, but despite it all, we now live in a nice home…and I am [at George Mason University] graduating.”

The December graduate from Woodbridge, Virginia, is receiving his bachelor’s in conflict analysis and resolution. He said Mason supported him before he was a freshman.

“The Early Identification Program (EIP) gave me resources and a different way of seeing the idea of college,” said Barrera, who joined the preparatory program in seventh grade. “I wanted to give back what they gave to me.”

Since coming to Mason, Barrera has served as a college readiness instructor and academic success coach for EIP.

“It was a little intimidating [mentoring high schoolers], but it developed me as a leader in that I gained a lot of confidence,” the Honors College student said. “I also was a peer advisor for a University 101 class—if it wasn’t for EIP, I would’ve never considered that.”

Barrera, who is also working on an accelerated master’s in public administration at the Schar School, said he’s most proud of helping first-generation students attend college and achieve their dreams.

“Arturo is a compassionate student, with patience beyond his years and a strong commitment to our students,” said Aaron Muz, EIP’s coordinator for outreach, engagement and student transition.

“He’s a dreamer who sets ambitious goals and knows how to put his head down and meet those goals through hard work and determination,” he said. “I have no doubt he’ll achieve something monumental in his future.”

With his degrees, Barrera said he aspires to help environmental organizations achieve their goals by streamlining their organizational processes and helping them navigate conflicts.

At Mason, he said he’s had meaningful experiences with the Student Transition and Empowerment Program (STEP), and the Carter School's Peacebuilding Fellowship, where he interned with the Office of Community and Local Government Relations in Arlington to help lead outreach efforts for the Institute for Digital InnovAtion.

Outside of class, Barrera supports the Model UN Program, Global Classrooms, and volunteers with Literacy Council of Northern Virginia to help Spanish speakers learn English. He also co-hosts The Lunch Break podcast, which centers on social innovations and global issues.

In all he does, Barrera said his work is about lifting others up.

“Everybody has the potential to do great things,” Barrera said. “I believe in others because I know there are people like my parents trying to get out of seemingly impossible situations or want more out of life.”

“Most of the time, they just need a hand or faith,” he said. “I like to give them that.”

Topics

Students

Graduation

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Schar School

Early Identification Program (EIP)

First Tuesday series takes students behind-the-scenes of political campaigns

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 00:05:00 +0000

First Tuesday series takes students behind-the-scenes of political campaigns Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 08/26/2020 - 20:05

George Mason alumnus Danny Diaz(left) speaks during a First Tuesday lecture series in Fall 2018 moderated by Robinson Professor of Public and International Affairs Steve Pearlstein. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications

Political campaigns are complex—even for political scientists. For students studying the field, understanding what is happening behind the scenes of a campaign can be difficult. For the average citizen, the confusion can be even greater.

That’s why Steven Pearlstein created the First Tuesday speaker series. The Robinson Professor of Public Affairs at George Mason University hopes it can help broaden perspectives on politics and challenge misconceptions that lead to political cynicism.

“The purpose here is to give students a sense of what campaigns and elections are like from the inside,” said Pearlstein, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Washington Post who hosts the series in conjunction with his Mason seminar course [HNRS 131 Contemporary Society in Multiple Perspectives].

Pulling the curtain back on campaigns has an often-unnoticed value, he said.

“[Political scientists] come up with mathematical models of elections that make it seem as if whatever the outcome is it’s inevitable,” Pearlstein said, adding that they don’t factor in how the campaign is run because of its nuanced intricacy. “They have a model about how campaigns and elections work that essentially ignores how good or bad a campaign is—this course is the antidote to that.”

Sponsored by the Schar School of Policy and Government and Mason’s Honors College, the First Tuesday speaker series (named for leading up to Election Day, the first Tuesday in November), pulls in experts from both sides of the political spectrum.

This year, students, faculty and community members will hear from a list of high-caliber professionals including:

· Peter Hart, dean of American political pollsters (Sept. 8)

· Mike Henry, former campaign manager of Senator Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and Gov. Terry McAuliffe (Sept. 15)

· Rebecca Pearcey, policy director of Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign (Sept. 22)

· Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and Republican media strategist (Sept. 29)

· Amy Gardner, political reporter and editor of The Washington Post (Oct. 6)

· U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, Democrat, Virginia 10^th District (Oct. 13)

· Danny Diaz, Republican political and communications strategist and Mason alumnus (Oct. 20)

· Lis Smith, communications director of Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign (Oct. 27)

· Tom Davis, former Republican Congressman from Virginia and former rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors

Peter Hart, Dean of American Political Pollsters, speaks to students during the Fall 2018 First Tuesday speaker series, a weekly series on the 2018 Congressional Elections, in the Main Reading Room at Fenwick Library. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications

The candid discussions about how elections are won and lost “lift the curtain behind the buzz words, and messaging the public is spoon fed,” Davis said.

It’s a worthwhile experience for students and the speakers whom Pearlstein interviews.

“I have learned just as I have shared, with students asking interesting questions and imparting well-informed views,” said Diaz, BA Communication ’00. “The exchanges are valuable because they allow political strategists the opportunity to address moments in time within the electoral system, while also providing context concerning how it can be viewed based on history, trends and experience.”

The series held every two years, during election cycles, will be virtual this year and is open to all via Zoom on Tuesdays at 9 a.m.: http://schar.gmu.edu/firsttuesday

“[It’s] well worth attending,” said Jim Pfiffner, professor emeritus in the Schar School who attended in 2018. “[Pearlstein] is an excellent interviewer and brings out interesting facets of [the speakers’] deep experience in politics.”

The hallmark of the series and its accompanying course is its hands-on nature. Keeping up with the news replaces a textbook, and students get paired with a Virginia voter who holds a different ideology than they do. Once a week they discuss the presidential race with that voter, and explore those conversations as a class.

For politically inclined students, the experience is unparalleled.

“There are very few schools in America that could get all these people on a speaker series like this,” Pearlstein said. “Only [schools] in Washington can easily do that, and I don’t think any of the other Washington schools do it to this degree.”

“What I hope students will see is that there’s a lot of very smart and experienced people who do campaigns at a high level,” he said. “It is somewhat of a science, but it’s also an art. And campaigns matter.”