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By Philip Wilkerson, University Career Services 

Representatives from George Mason University shared approaches to sustainable podcast production and student-led podcasting at HigherEd PodCon, held July 16–17 at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Their sessions addressed balancing podcasting with other professional responsibilities and how student organizations can support aspiring podcasters. 

The conference brought together approximately 165 higher education professionals, faculty members, and staff members from colleges and universities across the country. Kelly Chandler of the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning who produces the “Keystone Concepts in Teaching Podcast” and Philip Wilkerson of University Career Services represented George Mason, an avid podcaster with his own podcast Positive Philter. 

Chandler presented “Do I Even Have Time for This? Starting a Podcast That Isn’t Your Entire Job,” a session about developing a podcast alongside other professional responsibilities. 

“I was super excited when I saw that there was a podcast conference that was specifically for higher education, because we are a little bit different than the rest of the podcast industry,” Chandler said. “This was a really great opportunity to just talk to people who understand the industry that we’re in.” 

Wilkerson presented “How to Create a Registered Student Organization to Support Student Podcasters.” His session highlighted the Podcast Club at George Mason, a registered student organization that brings together students interested in podcasting. Wilkerson advises the club and is a doctoral student in George Mason’s Department of Communication. 

For the club’s student leaders, the experience extended beyond producing audio. 

“Leading The State of Podcast and serving as president of the Podcast Club has taught me life skills like time management and communication in ways I never could have learned otherwise,” said Max Castner, club president. 

Ella Waters, the club’s social media coordinator, said the organization has also introduced her to ideas and interests outside the podcasts she normally follows. 

“The podcast world is incredibly broad, and being part of the club allows me to better understand the passions of others and explore topics that I wouldn’t normally educate myself on,” Waters said. 

David Ramadan, a faculty member from the Schar School of Policy and Government, was named a finalist for HigherEd PodCon’s inaugural Podcast of the Year award. He was honored for his podcast, Policy and Governance Perspectives, whose inaugural episode featured notable guests, including former Governors of Virginia Terry McAuliffe (2014–2018) and Bob McDonnell (2010–2014). The Conference organizers selected the finalists from more than 150 submissions.

HigherEd PodCon was created to connect podcast producers working across colleges, universities, and departments. Conference co-founder and co-organizer Elvin Freytes said the gathering was intended to help participants find one another and consider how podcasting can support their work. 

“We wanted to start building community, not just across different institutions, but within those departments too,” Freytes said. “We want people to understand the value of podcasting and how to use it strategically to help their mission.” 

At George Mason, the Podcast Club gives that broader conversation a student-centered form: a place where students can encounter new subjects, practice communication and time management, and learn from peers who share an interest in podcasting. 

By Nick Lennon, co-director, Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement  

Thirty-six George Mason University faculty, staff, and community members participated in a three-day Power + Character Train-the-Trainer program this summer, preparing them to incorporate civic learning activities into their work with students and communities. 

George Mason’s Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement (CLIE) hosted the training July 27-29 in partnership with Citizen University, a national nonprofit focused on building a culture of civic participation. 

“We wanted to provide Mason faculty and staff, as well as local community educators, with practical tools and resources they could use to help students explore the many forms of power that exist beyond formal leadership positions,” said Lisa Snyder, CLIE associate director. “We also wanted to offer approaches for fostering character development. The Power + Character program equips educators to help students think beyond just personal ambitions to consider their responsibility to others, as well as the positive impact they can have in their communities.” 

The “Power + Character = Citizenship” program approaches citizenship as an ethical practice rather than a legal status. The training explores how identity, values, community, and agency influence participation in public life. 

Through reflection, dialogue, and interactive activities, participants examined civic power, character development, critical thinking, and community connection. The training was designed to give educators activities and approaches they could adapt for classrooms, student groups, and community partnerships. 

Post-program evaluations indicated that participants found value in both the concepts and their potential application. Ninety-five percent of respondents said the training helped them reflect on their own citizenship, clarified why civic skills and character matter in practice, and deepened their sense of responsibility for students’ civic growth. Ninety percent said they felt prepared to adapt the work to their own settings and would recommend the training to others.  

One participant said they planned to incorporate discussion of “the sources of power and helping students to see they do have power and can use it for good, not just selfish purposes.” 

Another described how the training could inform conversations with students. “This training helped me better frame how I can position the idea of community with my students and help them critically think about which communities they feel a part of or don’t feel a part of and why.” 

A teacher with 28 years of experience said the activities offered new ways to engage students while connecting those activities to broader questions of civic development. “The activities were exactly the reason I came. I’m always looking for new engaging ways to hook students. But now it’s more than just a surface-level icebreaker that is a priority. Now, it’s helping develop students’ civility.” 

Bringing together individuals from across George Mason and the surrounding community, the training provided a flexible framework for helping students connect power and purpose with ethical action. 

University units supporting the program included:  

• School of Integrative Studies 

• Women and Gender Studies 

• Academic Integrity  

• Center for the Advancement of Well-Being 

• Community Engagement and Civic Learning 

• Contemporary Student Services 

• International Programs and Services 

• Learning Services 

• Mason Recreation 

• Student Conduct 

• Student Health Services 

• Student Involvement 

• Student Media 

By Jane Rooney, UL Marketing and Communications. 

George Mason University welcomed its newest Patriots at New Student Convocation on August 21 at EagleBank Arena, where university leaders and current students offered advice about navigating college and finding community, and the Green Machine Pep Band treated students to spirited performances. 

Griffin Crouch, student body president and a senior political science and international politics major, advised the students to try new things. “This is the time to lean into uncertainty,” he said. “Find your people who encourage you to say yes to opportunities.” 

George Mason University President Gregory Washington congratulated the incoming students on choosing an institution that lives its values, including putting students first, creating a community that prioritizes belonging, and acting with integrity. 

“George Mason University prepares you for success better than any institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said. “Diversity is our strength.” Amarda Shehu, a computer science professor and the university’s inaugural vice president and chief artificial intelligence officer, noted that this generation will need to learn to understand AI well enough and leverage it effectively enough to stay in charge. “Keep asking questions,” she said. “Be a beginner on purpose.”  

Several current students shared their stories of finding community as Patriots. The student speakers were followed by a parade featuring many of the more than 500 Registered Student Organizations on campus.  

“Convocation showed me that I was a part of something big. Coming together to celebrate, even getting a cool sweatshirt, allowed me to show my Patriot Pride in a fun way,” said Jon Mason, a first-year Mason LIFE student. “I love the Green Machine. As a percussionist, I hope to be part of many convocations to come, building school spirit and the sense of community that helped me feel part of it all.” 

Michael “Doc Nix” Nickens, who leads the Green Machine, concluded the event by teaching the new students the George Mason fight song. 

 

By Jane Rooney, UL Marketing and Communications. 

This year’s graduates achieved remarkable success during their time at George Mason. University Life is spotlighting a few of these students and their accomplishments. (Read more in-depth profiles of graduating students Simeon Omorodion, Zarin Musarrat Niladree, and Duong Thuy Nguyen.) 

Ilia Sheikholeslami, a policy and government major in the Schar School of Policy and Government, found his purpose in civic engagement. He led Mason Lobbies, bringing more than 70 students to Richmond to advocate for state funding and helping to secure millions of dollars for the university. He interned for Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and learned how ideas turn into action. Through those opportunities, “I realized that collective voices can make real change,” he said. “The opportunities we earn through our efforts reflect our resilience in the face of privilege. Diligence, ingenuity, and grit define the George Mason spirit.”  

When she arrived at George Mason, Bhavyasri Dasari was not only new to campus but also new to the country. The College of Engineering and Computing data analytics engineering major had to navigate new responsibilities and unfamiliar systems. George Mason “became a place where uncertainty felt manageable, and growth felt possible,” she said. Her work as a graduate teaching assistant boosted her self-confidence. Her student experience taught her “how to think critically, engage thoughtfully, serve with intention, and lead with integrity.”  

Graduating with a degree in government and international politics, Mariamme Latif Estafan served as vice president of the Egyptian Student Union and engaged in research around human rights, conflict resolution, and global policy. “I learned that disagreement could be productive,” she said. “George Mason doesn’t just educate students; it empowers them. It gives us the confidence to speak up, the courage to challenge ideas, and the belief that our perspectives matter.” She plans to continue to use her voice, ask questions, and challenge the status quo as she moves on to the next chapter.  

Congratulations to the class of 2026! 

 

By Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications. 

Teacher shortage and burnout are prevalent phenomena in the United States. According to the Center for American Progress, roughly 7 out of 10 early-career teachers have left or considered leaving the classroom within their first five years.  

George Mason University’s Teacher Appreciation Day Panel and Networking Event was designed to address this reality. Held on May 5 by the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Alumni Chapter, University Career Services (UCS), the George Mason University Black Alumni Chapter, and the George Mason University Latino Alumni Chapter, the evening brought together five working educators — all George Mason alumni — to speak candidly with current students about what the classroom actually demands. 

Ingrid Guerra-Lopez, dean of CEHD, named the stakes directly in her opening remarks. 

“We know there are many expedited pathways into teaching today, but we also understand that quick preparation often does not fully equip educators for the realities and challenges of the profession,” she said. “When teachers are not adequately supported and prepared, it can create a cycle that leads many to leave the field too soon.”  

The five panelists, Alicia Brown (MEd ’23, Special Education), Thomas Ammazzalorso (MEd ’10, Educational Leadership), Tia Pierce (BA ’19, Integrative Studies), Luke Pierce (BA ’19, Music Technology), and Cedric Price (MEd ’22, Curriculum and Instruction), work across Fairfax County, Prince George’s County, and Catholic school systems in the region. 

The conversation kept returning to a single pressure point: the gap between what teacher preparation covers and what classrooms actually require. Ammazzalorso, a social studies teacher at Largo High School with more than 30 years in the field, named it plainly. “Everyone’s reliance on technology, teachers included,” he said. “We need to model to our students the importance of human skills, critical thinking, talking to each other, and teamwork.” 

Brown, a student support services coordinator at Bishop McNamara High School, brought it back to the individual student: “Every student can learn. As educators, we must find the uniqueness of each person and how they individually learn.” Luke Pierce, a music technology teacher at West Potomac High School, made the same point from a different angle: “Students learn just as much, if not more, from what you do rather than what you say.”  

Retention, the panelists suggested, hinges on three key relationships: with students, with families, and with colleagues. Pierce, a multilingual learner teacher at Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary School, was clear about the first two: “Parents want to know that you genuinely care about the well-being of their children and that you are collaborators with them.” Price, a fifth-grade lead teacher at Dogwood Elementary School, pointed new teachers toward the third relationship: “Lean on your colleagues and learn, explore, and observe what they are doing in their classrooms.” 

The discussion was moderated by Philip Wilkerson (MEd ’12, Counseling and Development), employer engagement consultant at UCS and president of the CEHD Alumni Chapter, who closed by reflecting on his own formation: “I had educators who changed the trajectory of my life. Take a moment to thank a teacher in your life. They don’t often see the long-term effect they have on their students.” 

The event is part of CEHD’s Future Ready Teachers Initiative, which supports George Mason students and graduates entering and sustaining careers in K–12 education. To learn more about the initiative, visit https://cehd.gmu.edu/future-ready-teachers.   

 

By Tiffany Boggs, Student Media. Edited by Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications.

On May 7, with finals in full throttle, George Mason offered a space for students to slow down.

The 2026 Heal Together event, hosted by the Office of Access, Compliance, and Community (OACC), and partnered with the Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement, Contemporary Student Services, the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, and Community Engagement and Civic Learning, created spaces encouraging students and faculty to reclaim rest as a form of restoration, resistance, and renewal during finals week.

“Our belief is that healing is collective. Nobody heals in isolation, and our liberation is tied together,” said Shakila Melchior, director of strategic initiatives, partnerships, and outreach for OACC.

A clinician of 15 years, Melchior framed the event around what she learned from practice. “Stress lives in the body and it is so important for us to take breaks throughout time, especially in high-stress times,” she said.

Activities in the newly opened Spiritual and Interfaith Center included Quiet Tech— a silent disco headphones and virtual reality experience — alongside positive affirmation cards, sensory grounding, painting, an aromatherapy bar, and herbal tea blending workshops. For Angie Mendizabal, a junior, the combination of journaling and Quiet Tech opened up something new for her. “When you write down exactly what you know is best for you or what’s holding you back or what you’re feeling now…just writing it on a sheet of paper really helps,” she said.

University offices hosted additional rest spaces across campus. Through Counseling and Psychological Services, Mind Spa offered 30-minute appointments in a zero-gravity massage chair with aromatherapy. Human Resources offered Rest to Recharge, an educational room built around seven types of rest: mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, creative, and sensory. For those who needed something looser, Play to Restore had board games, LEGO building, lawn games, and free play at the Corner Pocket.

For Maddi Steen, a sophomore, the intentional programming reflected her George Mason experience. “I think George Mason does a really good job of reminding us that we matter as individuals and that we’re not in this alone,” she said. “I’m thankful to go to an institution that prioritizes mental health and community.”

 

By Tiffany Boggs, Student Media. Edited by Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications.

When Duong Thuy Nguyen first emailed her GTA for IT104: Introduction to Computing, she wasn’t sure what to call him — GTA Reddy or Professor Reddy? She was, as she puts it, “that naive.” She had just returned to college after years away, caring for her family, working full time, while carrying the weight of a culture that had pointed her toward a different life entirely. She wasn’t sure she could do any of it.

This May, she’s graduating with a 4.0 GPA, an Academic Excellence Award from her department, a Capstone team leadership under her belt, and two published feature articles about her work — and in the fall, she’ll be back as a graduate student in George Mason’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program.

Nguyen immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 2015. College, especially after a long pause, wasn’t the expected path for her. But her family pushed her toward it. “You have so much potential… just try,” she recalled being told.

Nguyen came to George Mason as a contemporary student. An immigrant adult learner who also works, she navigates the tension between family responsibilities and schoolwork in every classroom, every late night studying after work, and she often wondered whether someone like her belonged in a place like this. “I can feel both the excitement of going back to college and the worry of what if I couldn’t do this,” she said.

The People Who Showed Up

She took an academic leave in the spring of 2023 after family duties became too overwhelming. When she returned, she felt the distance from her peers acutely — older, quieter, uncertain of her place. What pulled her forward was a support system at George Mason that refused to let her disappear.

Professor Irina Hashmi gave her credit for quiz answers lost to a frozen screen, taking her word for it when she didn’t have to. Professor Scott Lewis listened to her story in his office hours when exhaustion broke through, and gave her career advice instead of sending her away. Professor Gene Shuman stayed after every class to work through concepts she was still wrestling with. Professor Massimiliano Albanese chose her for a cybersecurity internship that eventually opened the door to her current position at the Fairfax County Office of Elections.

“The whole Mason Nation, like every single one that I work with or study with…they are so supportive,” said Nguyen.

That support gave her enough ground to start taking risks. As a Peer Mentor for the Office of Undergraduate Studies at the College of Engineering and Computing, she showed up to her first event expecting to greet prospective students at a table. Instead, she found herself on stage as a panelist, fielding interview questions alongside an associate dean, sweating through her nerves in front of a room full of people. She made it through. After that, she became one of the program’s recurring panelists — the woman who’d been too shy to speak up in class, now telling prospective students to join organizations early and reach out before they think they need to.

From the Audience to the Stage

The biggest test came in her Capstone Project, a two-semester sequence she entered convinced she wasn’t cut out to lead. Her accent, she assumed, meant people wouldn’t listen. It was easier, she had always believed, to do everything herself than to ask for help and risk depending on someone. Capstone — and Professor Gail Therrien, who designed the program — changed that by making her team lead. She learned to divide responsibilities, to speak up, to give her teammates room to show their own strengths. When her team’s work began to accumulate across two semesters, she arrived at something she hadn’t expected: that she is, indeed, “good enough.”

Beyond the classroom, she built a life on campus — joining Contemporary Student Services, Women in Cybersecurity, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, and Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit working to close the gender gap in tech.

“I realized that the first person who needs to believe in me is me,” she said. “If I don’t trust myself, I can’t earn the trust of others, and I certainly can’t lead a team to success.”

Today, she works full-time and cares for her family. She still sleeps two or three hours during the hard weeks. Somewhere in between, she is running on coffee and the same determination that got her here in the first place. She is still, in many ways, doing everything at once.

“I never in a million years thought that I could get this far,” she said.

 

By Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications

Zarin Musarrat Niladree remembers her pediatrician the way we remember someone who made us feel safe when we were scared. She was young, she was sick often, and he was kind.

“I want to be like him when I grow up,” she thought then. Four years at George Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing gave her the scientific training to move toward that path.

Niladree graduates in May with a degree in bioengineering, pre-health concentration, and is on her way to medical school. The path ran through three research labs and one clarifying question she kept returning to: who actually needs this, and does it work for them?

The answer felt most urgent in Professor Remi Veneziano’s lab, where she served as co-construction lead on a smart microneedle patch designed for patients with chronic wounds — elderly patients, people with disabilities, people managing wound care alone without reliable help. The patch used UV light to trigger targeted drug release at the wound site, sparing patients repeated invasive treatments. Niladree built the electrical system from the ground up: UV LED strips, an Arduino Nano, circuit boards she soldered and resoldered through months of setbacks, components that behaved differently assembled than they did on paper.

“It was not just building a device for the sake of building one,” she said. “We were trying to create something that could help people feel less overwhelmed by their own care.”

What the lab taught her was the distance between a working prototype and a patient who actually benefits from it — and how much stands between the two. That gap is what drew her toward the Dartmouth Water Filtration Project, where the engineering problem was inseparable from the community it was meant to serve.

She joined expecting to redesign a filter for communities in Guatemala. What the project actually taught her was harder to systematize: that engineering solutions deployed to real communities require humility before they require hardware. Safety concerns, sustainability questions, and guidance from faculty pushed the team away from a point-of-use filter toward broader water-system treatment. That pivot frustrated her at first, but then clarified something she carried forward.

“Just because we can design something does not automatically mean it is the best or safest solution,” she said. “Sometimes that means pausing, rethinking, and choosing the option that is safer and more useful for the people who will actually use it.”

Her role as a teaching assistant for Biomedical Imaging, a course she had struggled through, confirmed what her research had been building toward. She realized that helping a frustrated student finally understand a problem wasn’t so different from what she imagined doing in an examination room — meeting someone in their confusion, explaining clearly, making them feel less alone.

This orientation — science as a form of care, not just capability — is what she’s taking to medical school. The kind of physician she wants to become is already recognizable: the one who makes the patient feel safe.

What George Mason gave her was scientific fluency. What it kept showing her, through every lab and every student she taught, was that fluency alone was not enough.

 

By Tiffany Boggs, Student Media. Edited by Chelsea Xu, UL Marketing and Communications.

When Simeon Omorodion crossed the finish line of the 130th Boston Marathon this April for the first time, he wasn’t just completing a race. He was confirming something he’d been building toward for years — that running wasn’t a hobby or a side pursuit, but a core part of who he is.

At George Mason, that identity never existed in isolation. A cybersecurity major, an Honors College student, and long-distance runner, Omorodion found the same logic threading through both pursuits: structure, persistence, and a tolerance for discomfort that eventually becomes growth.

In May, he will walk across the stage, earning his degree in Information Technology, specializing in cybersecurity with a minor in Japanese studies.

This pairing surprises people. But for Omorodion, it makes perfect sense. His interest in cybersecurity comes down to problem-solving under pressure — the same discipline that gets a runner through mile 20. His passion for Japanese studies dates back to childhood, when anime introduced him to stories of perseverance and the impossible becoming possible. He joined the Japanese Student Association his freshman year and studied in Japan in the summer of 2024. “Why don’t I just learn this beautiful language?” he said, “this language that has allowed me to see visions of impossibles becoming possible.

The two halves of his life at George Mason reinforce each other in ways he didn’t anticipate. “It’s like a symbiotic relationship,” he said. “Without the athletics, it’s hard for me to engage within the academics. With the academics, it helps me to engage in athletics.”

Those connections extended beyond the classroom and the track. Through the Patriot Run Club and his role in Housing and Residence Life as a resident assistant, he found the sense of belonging that made everything else easier. “It made me feel connected,” he said, “connected to this environment, to the George Mason culture.”

To students still on the fence about getting involved and pursing what they are passionate about, his advice is direct: do it, and don’t expect to regret it.

After graduation, Omorodion plans to continue merging the passions he discovered during his time at George Mason. He will work for the global sportswear company ASICS in Boston as a marketplace operations coordinator — a role that would keep him rooted in the running world while building a career.

He arrived at George Mason without a clear plan. Through running and his academics, Omorodion leaves with a deeper understanding of himself and what drives him — and a conviction that not having it figured out from the start was never the problem.

“You are going to transform a lot during college,” he said, “and that could be a very positive transformation.”