Schar School News December 2021

Daksha Magesh: She Saw Potential, She Receives Inspiration

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 14:38:27 +0000

Daksha Magesh: She Saw Potential, She Receives Inspiration Andrew J Schappert Mon, 12/13/2021 - 09:38

Daksha Magesh: ‘I wanted to find a community of people who would push me to do my best, to help me reach my full potential. I found that.’

Daksha Magesh came to the Schar School after graduating from the Tesla STEM High School in her home of Seattle, Washington. The first-year government and international politics student brought with her the sort of resume that makes public policy employers’ eyes grow wide: She’s interned with a state senator, served as a legislative page, collaborated on two senate campaigns, worked for a mental health nonprofit, and performed scientific research in music and learning.

How did she come to ��AV? After all, there are a lot of colleges between Seattle and Fairfax, Virginia.

“When I was in the eighth grade, I came to [Washington,] D.C. for the first time on a school trip and absolutely fell in love with the city,” Magesh said. “I was awestruck. There was this representation of wanting to do better, of wanting to see a future in which everyone can thrive together as a community.

“When I was [researching] George Mason I saw that potential. I saw the potential to be a community that works together toward change. It combined everything I was looking for.”

Once she arrived, the Honors College student found the school allowed for personal growth as well. “I was looking for an opportunity to expand. I wanted to find a community of people who would push me to do my best, to help me reach my full potential,” she said. “I found that.”

Magesh had vital support of key employers throughout high school, including Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra, who represents Seattle in the 45^th District.

“She was a mentor and role model to me,” Magesh said. “As an intern, I did everything from phone banking to canvassing. But getting to work on the senate floor was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

In addition to the internship, Magesh worked for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a nonprofit that advocates for family members of those diagnosed with mental illness. Meanwhile, in her spare time, she was a dancer with a Bollywood dance troupe that happened to raise funds for charities.

“One year, the proceeds [of the Bollywood concert] went to NAMI,” she said. “Two sides of my life came together and it was really cool to do something I love and also contribute to a good cause.”

In addition to being interested in policy and mental health, she also enjoys neuroscience. In fact, a paper she wrote as a high school junior combined her love of music with her passion for science.

“I wrote a research paper on beta wave measurement and how that correlates to academic excellence and music,” she said. “I've always been interested in how the brain works, so I rewired an electric encephalogram and used that to measure students' brain waves while they listened to different types of music and completed a math test.”

The paper, “Examining Correlation Between the Genre of Music Present & Increased Academic Performance Through Beta Wave Measurement,” was published in the Journal of Student Research, an achievement of its own.

Magesh is one of this year’s Schar Scholars scholarship recipients. The program provides financial support to students majoring in public administration or government and international politics.

“It’s exciting to see the experiences and energy that our Schar Scholars bring to Mason,” said Shannon Williams, assistant dean for student engagement at the Schar School. “Daksha is in her first year here, and she hasn’t wasted any time welcoming the connections she has discovered and opening up new possibilities for herself and her Schar School community.”

Magesh’s academic studies during her first year at the Schar School have not slowed her down. In fact, she’s even more inspired.

“I see the drive, passion, and ambition,” she said of the school. “It's really interesting to come here and know I made the right choice.”

Topics

Undergraduates

internships

Schar School News December 2021

‘How Washington Really Works’: A Collaborative Class with the University of Pennsylvania

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 21:05:14 +0000

‘How Washington Really Works’: A Collaborative Class with the University of Pennsylvania Andrew J Schappert Tue, 12/07/2021 - 16:05

In This Story

Steven Pearlstein

Steven Pearlstein. Photo by Creative Services

A first-ever course taught by political insiders arrives during the spring 2022 semester that will help students understand how politics is accomplished in the nation’s capital. And it takes place on Capitol Hill.

GOVT 467: Issues in Economic Policy—also known as “How Washington Really Works”—features Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist and Mason Robinson Professor of Public Affairs Steven Pearlstein and Zeke Emmanuel, former health care advisor for President Obama and now the vice provost for global initiatives and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Emmanuel, Pearlstein said, “thought it would be fun to teach a course about how Washington really works and he suggested we do it together. I said, that's a great idea but there's a little problem: Your school is in Pennsylvania and my school is in Virginia.”

As it happens, Penn operates the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement on Constitution Avenue, just blocks from the Capitol. The idea, Pearlstein said, was that “we could teach the course in Washington and we could have the students from Penn come south and the ones from [Mason] come north.”

Zeke Emmanuel. Photo by Candace di Carlo

The Friday classes will feature special speakers who will elaborate on insights of eight case studies the course will explore. Cases range from the 1957 Civil Rights Act to welfare reform to Obamacare. According to the course description, “policy debates, political dealing, and the motivations and ambitions of politicians and policy makers will be examined, along with the roles of interest groups, think-tanks, and the media.” (Lunch and Metro fare will be provided to each student.)

In the final weeks, students working in groups of politically like-minded colleagues, will be tasked with creating comprehensive and politically-realistic policy proposals related to immigration, poverty, and taxes.

“Our aim is for [students] to not be cynical about how policy is made but to be realistic,” Pearlstein said of the goal of the course.

Ultimately, students will understand how public policy is achieved when stakeholders have competing interests.

Topics

Government

public administration

Capitol Hill

Schar School News December 2021

Meet the Freshman Working in the Student Senate and What He Hopes to Accomplish

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 19:44:48 +0000

Meet the Freshman Working in the Student Senate and What He Hopes to Accomplish Andrew J Schappert Tue, 12/07/2021 - 14:44

Zayd Hamid is a first-year Schar School student from Manassas Park, Virginia, serving as the vice chair of the Mason Student Senate academics committee as well as the senate outreach liaison. While those who represent the student body in student government likely have their own motivations for serving, Hamid’s reason for adding student government duties to a busy schedule can be pinpointed to a local elected official.

“One of my biggest inspirations is [Virginia] Delegate Danica Roem [D-13], a fantastic public servant who represents my home city of Manassas Park,” he said. (Roem, it should be pointed out, is a former longtime journalist and, in 2018, became the first out transgender person elected to the Virginia General Assembly.)

“She was part of what inspired me to join student government in high school,” Hamid said. “I wanted to continue that work of constituent service here at Mason. I want to be someone who can make lives better through policy formation and execution, to be a signer of legislation that tangibly improves lives.”

Hamid, who is majoring in government and international politics, said he enjoys the nuts and bolts of politics: “I love discussing legislation and passing things that improve the quality of life for students. In regard to my motivations for representing my fellow students, I do it because I care about my community. I have a lot of friends here and I know that I’m in a place of influence where I can make a change to support people in need. The people I care about make the stress and work of the job all worth it every day. “

Prior to enrolling at Mason, Hamid served as captain of Manassas Park High School’s academic team, participated in several programs and organizations, and worked for his local community center among other activities that involved him in his community.

“These varied experiences have given me a diverse background of experiences to help me prepare for a school like Mason, which takes pride in the diverse array of opportunities available for students to explore,” he said. “I’ve fostered my personal and professional skills over the years and hope to continue doing so through the opportunities at Mason—to make me a better student, a better public servant, and a better man.”

Hamid parted with some words for the Mason student body.

“I want people to know that the student government is here for you,” he said. “We are here to support and serve you. Anyone can feel free to reach out with ideas for what they’d like to see changed on campus and we will try our best to materialize those wishes. Always feel free to reach out to me; I am here for you. That goes for all my colleagues in student government as well.”

Read more about Mason’s student government.

Topics

student government

Schar School News December 2021

Government and International Politics

Schar School BA in Government and International Politics

Inspired by Revolution to Study Government, She’s Now Earning a BA and Master’s Degree at the Same Time

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:04:42 +0000

Inspired by Revolution to Study Government, She’s Now Earning a BA and Master’s Degree at the Same Time Andrew J Schappert Mon, 12/06/2021 - 11:04

Nardine Mossad: The BAM program allows the senior to take graduate-level courses, condensing the time it takes to complete her master’s degree. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

When Nardine Mosaad was 11 years old, she witnessed the protests of the 2011 Egyptian revolution firsthand. Watching from her balcony in Cairo, her eyes stung from the gas bombs exploding in the streets. Mosaad saw young students and others taking to the streets to fight for a change. She admired their tenacity and fearlessness even when the police fought back. The experience inspired her to study how governments work.

“I saw a group of young people in Egypt topple down a 30-year-old regime and it really had a profound impact on my development,” she said. “It really impressed on me how a group of young people could have a tremendous effect on how the government could be structured.”

Mosaad, a senior at the Schar School, moved to Fairfax when she was 13, and it wasn’t long after that she learned a teacher from her school in Egypt was murdered in a church bombing. That event solidified her drive to go into government, with the intention of representing those who do not have an effective public voice. Mosaad chose the Schar School because the government and international politics program is known as one of the best in the country. For her, it was important—not to mention energizing—to know she could study at a top government school.

Enrolled in Mason’s Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program, Mosaad is majoring in government and international politics with a concentration in international relations and a minor in French. Her accelerated master’s degree studies are in international security. The BAM program allows her to take graduate-level courses as an undergraduate, condensing the time it takes to complete her master’s degree.

“I thought, I’m just going to get my degree and leave,” she said. But when she saw “how Mason really cares about students and wants them to get involved” in issues that interest them, “that really motivated me to go out and get out of my comfort zone and talk to people.”

She immersed herself in several Schar School offerings, signing on in the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP), which provides significant research opportunities for undergraduates; joining the International Relations Policy Task Force (IRTF), which gives juniors and seniors a chance to become policy experts by researching and crafting policy recommendations; and pursuing an internship that can reinforce her studies.

Through all these available opportunities, Mosaad discovered her favorite thing about the Schar School: its diversity.

“When you listen and learn from people from all around the world, you start seeing the world from a whole different perspective,” she said.

Topics

Bachelor’s/Acclerated Master’s Program

International Security

Government and International Politics

Schar School News December 2021

Schar School BA in Government and International Politics

International Relations Policy Task Force

Honoring Regional Elected Leaders

Andrew J Schappert — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 16:35:20 +0000

Honoring Regional Elected Leaders Andrew J Schappert Fri, 12/03/2021 - 11:35

The fourth Schar School Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI) capped off the year with an in-person dinner on the Arlington Campus after hosting the ceremony online last year. The dinner was followed by a panel discussion about effective leadership and featured former Virginia Secretary of Education and Schar School professor Anne Holton and former Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne. Pictured, awardees for exceptional regional leadership and event sponsors: From left, Falls Church council member David Snyder; Virginia Senator Janet Howell (D-32); McGuire Woods Consulting’s James W. Dyke, Jr.; Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell; Arlington School Board Chair Barbara Kanninen; and Prince William School Board Chair Babur Lateef; Virginia Housing’s Jill Norcross; JBG Smith’s Jay Corbalis; and the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s John Payne. Photo by Jeanine Finch/finchphotodc.com
—Buzz McClain

Topics

Schar School News December 2021

Reforming Criminal Justice

Andrew J Schappert — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:31:53 +0000

Reforming Criminal Justice Andrew J Schappert Fri, 12/03/2021 - 09:31

Screenshot by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Nearly 100 viewers with an interest in criminal justice reform in the commonwealth tuned into an early December webinar on the subject, moderated by Bonnie Stabile of the Schar School’s Gender and Policy Center (GAP), and featuring Faye Taxman, director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!). Guests addressing the equity, effectiveness, and economics of incarceration included keynote speaker Jennifer Carroll Foy, former Virginia delegate and gubernatorial candidate; Bonnie Hoffman, director of public defense reform and training at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Claire Guthrie Gastañga, former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia; and Edward Ungvarsky, criminal defense lawyer.
—Buzz McClain

Topics

Criminal Justice Reform

Schar School News December 2021

Gender and Policy Center

Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence

ACE!

GAP

PhD Candidate Jon Hoffman, 26, Earns Middle East Policy Council’s ‘40 Under 40’ Honors

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 19:38:53 +0000

PhD Candidate Jon Hoffman, 26, Earns Middle East Policy Council’s ‘40 Under 40’ Honors Andrew J Schappert Thu, 12/02/2021 - 14:38

In This Story

Bassam S. Haddad

Peter Mandaville

Jon Hoffman: ‘I hope this award will serve to shine a light on the great work being produced by the broader Mason community.’

Jon Hoffman, a PhD candidate in political science at the Schar School of Policy and Government, has been included on the inaugural “40 Under 40” list by the Middle East Policy Council. The Council was founded in 1981 to contribute to American understanding of the political, economic, and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East. The nonprofit awarded Hoffman the honor for “making a significant impact on Middle East affairs and policy in Washington D.C.,” said Peter Mandaville, a professor at the Schar School who works with Hoffman.

Hoffman, a Charlottesville, Virginia, native who specializes in international relations and comparative politics, said “this award is more of a reflection of the amazing scholars at ��AV who have guided me through both my undergraduate and graduate studies.

“They are the ones who taught me how to think critically and analytically and impressed upon me what it means to truly produce knowledge. I hope this award will serve to shine a light on the great work being produced by the broader Mason community.”

Hoffman credits Mandaville and Schar School associate professor Bassam Haddad for fostering/nurturing his intellectual and personal development. They, in turn, are delighted with his success/accomplishments/achievements.

“Jon has a professional profile and publishing record that rivals many seasoned experts,” said Mandaville. “He has succeeded in making a distinctive mark on the field of Middle East affairs very early in his career, and I’m thrilled that the Middle East Policy Council has seen fit to recognize this.”

Haddad pointed out that despite Hoffman’s successes, he’s rather young: Hoffman is 26-years-old.

“Jon has been able to accomplish in a remarkably short period as a graduate student what many professionals in the think-tank world take years to do,” Haddad said. “He made an impact as a critical writer on matters of foreign policy in the Middle East, while putting a dent in the dominant and stale discourse on the region. We are proud of him.”

Topics

Awards

PhD

Schar School News December 2021

Congressional Internship as a Freshman? Meet the First-Year Scholar Doing Just That—and More.

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:11:57 +0000

Congressional Internship as a Freshman? Meet the First-Year Scholar Doing Just That—and More. Andrew J Schappert Thu, 12/02/2021 - 10:11

In This Story

Jennifer N. Victor

Freshman Molly Izer: ‘I can confidently say that while I expected college to change my perspectives, I found that it was my scope, rather than perspective, that had changed.’

Before coming to Mason, Molly Izer worked at a factory and on a family-owned farm in rural Oregon. Now she’s walking the famous marble corridors of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., as a Congressional intern. It should be pointed out that Izer, who is majoring in government and international politics at the Schar School, is an 18-year-old freshman.

Izer lives on campus in the Honors College Learning Community which gives students the opportunity to live together, study together, and grow in community alongside one another. We had the opportunity to ask Izer some questions about her internship.

Schar School: Can you tell us about your internship on Capitol Hill?
Molly Izer: I am currently working for U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in the House of Representatives as a legislative affairs intern. I have loved the internship so far. In addition to having a hard-working and brilliant staff, Congressman Blumenauer is engaged in quite a few projects on the Ways and Means Committee and advocates for progressive policies.

SS: What issues do you deal with?
MI: I’ve enjoyed getting involved in climate legislation the most, given its urgency. While it is immensely frustrating to wait on Congress to act on various issues I find important, being able to get intimately involved with the process has somewhat alleviated that frustration—but don’t get me started on the reconciliation negotiations!

I am mostly hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the legislative process, and to connect concepts that I have only learned of in a hypothetical sense to a very real and influential body.

SS: How did your previous experiences at home in Oregon help you secure a Congressional internship?
MI: Given that I am a freshman and congressional offices generally prefer more [experienced] students, I believe the deciding factor was the extensive engagement I’ve had in the district Congressman Blumenauer represents, Oregon’s 3rd District. K.C. Hanson, the chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, agreed to write a letter of recommendation because of my involvement in local and state politics.

In Oregon, I completed my senior year of high school remotely while working in an industrial factory. I also worked for several years at a small family-owned farm. The duality of these two fields gave me a deep understanding of the working class that I think is particularly lacking in [national politics]. My parents are small business owners and their influence and guidance has taught me to constantly connect back to “the real world”—that is, the real impact that government has on lives.

In my junior year of high school, a coworker and I founded a grassroot [organization] dedicated to mobilizing youth for progressive causes in rural areas. Through my work as manager, I became closely involved in local politics, and worked with local organizers to host events, write and advocate for policies, and teach community engagement, policy writing, and local organizing to other youth advocates.

Before committing to Mason, I taught some material that was written by [Schar School Associate Professor Jennifer N. Victor] at one of the grassroot policy-writing workshops I ran in Oregon. Working with marginalized communities in rural areas emphasized the importance of what we do in Washington; it is easy to dehumanize the legislative process when we learn about it because the ideas are so complex that they instill a cognitive separation between theory and reality. In pondering the possibility of what institutions could achieve, we forget to consider how they are currently operating.

The cognitive dissonance not only separates us from solutions, it also erases the parts of government that make it worth the effort. By grounding solutions in impacts, we can appreciate the policies that change lives.

SS: How has your time at Mason been so far?
MI: Mason and the Schar School have exceeded my expectations in providing both an intensive and applicable academic workload. I can confidently say that while I expected college to change my perspectives, I found that it was my scope, rather than perspective, that had changed.

In addition, my classes seem to complement each other in a way that allows me to make connections across several different courses, which has allowed me to view problem-solving as a more multidisciplinary task.

I have, of course, enjoyed all my professors thus far, but the professor and course that I can confidently say is the favorite is GOV 103 with Jennifer Victor. In addition to incredibly prescient and relevant discussions, Dr. Victor is great at encouraging student engagement. The opportunity to discuss current events with my peers in the context of American institutions has been extremely valuable.

SS: What are your plans for your time at Mason?
MI: My most ambitious goal is to intern in both houses of Congress and the executive branch. I also want to continue the research I am currently working on with Dr. Victor—I think there is so much I can learn from her and the process of research itself. I am currently coding Congressional caucus data for her ongoing data compilation. In addition, Dr. Victor and I are in the process of coauthoring a paper on the persistence of Congressional caucuses and the causes of their longevity.

SS: Do you have any advice for prospective students?
MI: Don’t feel pressure to fulfill the college student archetype—in that same vein, don’t feel pressure to resist it, either. No one else gets to decide what your education will look like. It will be exactly what you make of it.

Topics

internships

Schar School News December 2021