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Learning from life’s challenges, Mason senior strives to make a difference

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 18:11:00 +0000

Learning from life’s challenges, Mason senior strives to make a difference Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 12/17/2020 - 13:11

In This Story

Members of Student Government, including Cassidy Whitehurst (second from right) and then interim Mason President Anne Holton (left) at the Virginia State Capitol during Mason Lobbies in Feb. 2020. Photo provided.

Cassidy Whitehurst didn’t know if or how life would ever get better. The ��AV senior from Chesapeake, Virginia, said she grew up with parents who were addicted to drugs and alcohol, and from fourth to eighth grade, she was living in hotels and cars.

“I was doing really bad in school and wasn’t involved,” Whitehurst said. “I kind of gave up because my home life was so stressful.”

But a moment of introspection inspired her to take control of the future.

Mason senior Cassidy Whitehurst. Photo provided.

“I moved in with my aunt in seventh grade, and around that time I started realizing that I didn’t want to live this lifestyle anymore,” the government and international politics major said. “It gave me a lot of hope thinking about the future and how I could change the situation.”

It also inspired her to want to go to college and become a lawyer.

“[In middle school] I saw my mom go to jail when she really just needed help,” said Whitehurst, who added that her parents have since been doing better. “I thought she was treated wrong and think addiction is treated wrong. That sparked me to be interested in criminal justice reform.”

Whitehurst said she decided to go to Mason after a campus tour that filled her with excitement for the campus experience. Now that she’s here, she’s been making the most of her education in classes, as the Speaker of the Student Senate, as a Mason Ambassador giving tours to prospective students, and as a Virtual Learning Community mentor.

“I love being involved with Student Government because I get to help people within the George Mason community,” Whitehurst said, adding that she also serves on the Student Advisory Committee for the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia.

“What impresses me most about Cassidy is her ability to be calm and confident in difficult and complex situations, which happen regularly in Student Senate,” said Student Government Advisor Ben Endres. “She is a natural leader and well respected by her peers as well as the professional staff.”

She also works hard to ensure her peers feel heard and accepted, Endres said, and she seeks opportunities for her own personal development.

Next semester, Whitehurst said she will be an undergraduate research assistant working with professors Robert McGrath and Lucas Núñez to create a database of legislation passed in the Virginia General Assembly.

The opportunities Mason has provided, along with the friends Whitehurst has made along the way, have been her favorite parts of her college experience, she said.

Professors like Laura Walker and Sharrell Hassell-Goodman have also been influential, Whitehurst said, citing their engaging teaching styles and how they encourage productive dialogue among students.

“Cassidy is humble, yet confident and extremely capable and talented,” Hassell-Goodman said. “I can’t wait to see what she decides to pursue in the future.”

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A debater’s path to Mason

Colleen Rich — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:00:16 +0000

A debater’s path to Mason Colleen Rich Tue, 09/01/2020 - 05:00

Juliette Reyes. Photo provided.

Despite a path to ��AV that was challenging and, in her own words, “unconventional,” incoming freshmen Juliette Reyes moved on to campus this fall.

The Parkland, Florida, native will be double majoring in government and international politics and conflict analysis and resolution, a decision based on an initial interest in politics in high school that grew into a passion.

“It’s just something that I’m really passionate about,” Reyes said. “And I felt as though getting a degree in government and international politics will allow me to really understand the institutions in which policies are drafted while also getting access to that international affairs curriculum.”

Reyes’ first time on campus was at a summer debate camp with Mason’s Forensics Team, an experience she called “amazing.”

“It’s funny, because when I went to the camp I was like, ‘I’m never going to go here, you know? I’m going to try to go to an Ivy,’ ” Reyes said. “But the more and more I stayed at the camp, the more and more the school grew on me.”

Her high school teachers discouraged her decision to attend Mason, despite her familiarity and fondness for the school.

“I think that was the biggest problem with me going to Mason,” she said. “It was me choosing between a college I really liked, I really had a good connection with, and then everyone else pressuring me to choose a school that was more quote-unquote elite in nature.”

Now that Reyes is here, she has big plans.

As a part of both the Honors College and the Peacebuilding, Justice and Conflict Resolution Virtual Learning Community, Reyes said she is excited to get involved on campus and work with the Forensics Team, which helped inspire her decision to attend Mason, as well as with other on-campus organizations.

“I’ve been in a lot of various writing jobs and publications so definitely joining something like that would be on my radar,” she said. “And if I do happen to have the time, which I probably won’t, I’d like to do Model UN again.”

Reyes wrote for Student Change, a now-closed nonpartisan high school organization dedicated to informing fellow students about the spectrum of politics. She has also written for The New Voice, a nonpartisan news organization, since her sophomore year of high school.

When looking to the future, Reyes is keeping her options open.

She has considered being an international human rights lawyer. Other options are to work as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense or for an organization such as the World Bank or the U.S. Institute of Peace in developing countries. She said she plans on using her time at Mason to see “which one fits the most.”

Freshman with global worldview ready to tackle her next adventure at Mason

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

Freshman with global worldview ready to tackle her next adventure at Mason Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 08/26/2020 - 20:05

Celine Apenteng aboard a boat moving through Hamburg, Germany. Photo provided.

Celine Apenteng may only have one biological sibling, but she regards nearly a dozen people from around the world as her sisters. This “extended family,” as she calls them, and Apenteng’s travels abroad, have had a profound impact on her view of education.

“There’s always something for you to learn,” said Apenteng, whose family has hosted exchange students from France, Moldova and Germany since she was 10. “Even if it’s not something new, the way somebody says something could impact how you think about it.”

The incoming freshman from Silver Spring, Maryland, said she is looking forward to continuing her learning and growth at ��AV, where she will be a member of the Honors College and a University Scholar majoring in conflict analysis and resolution with minors in intelligence studies and data analysis.

“I’m interested in seeing the different perspectives that people bring to the table and how that will shape me into my future self,” Apenteng said, adding that she hopes to work for the FBI or with Homeland Security.

Why conflict analysis and resolution?

“I’ve seen that a lot of new jobs today that are looking for people who know how to deal with conflict,” she said.

Part of resolving conflict can involve navigating cultural differences, and Apenteng has had experiences that could help position her for success, such as her participation in an exchange program to France in 2016.

Apenteng (left) with exchange student Mia Ola enjoy time in a park in Cella, Germany. Photo provided.

Most recently, Apenteng was awarded a scholarship in her senior year of high school to attend the prestigious Congress-Bundestag Youth Program, a U.S.-German exchange program hosted by the U.S. State Department.

“Being in Germany not only taught me different perspectives and different ways of thinking, but also different ways of solving problems that you don’t see in the United States,” she said. “That, and being able to make friends in different languages and understand people.”

The 11-month program where Apenteng was learning German (she also is fluent in French) was cut short by a couple months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, she said it was worthwhile.

“I never thought that I could do what [the exchange students we hosted] were doing,” Apenteng said. “I learned I’m more resilient than I think.”

In addition to learning from her degree program at Mason, Apenteng said she is looking forward to being part of the virtual learning communities, and experiencing all the university has to offer.

“I’m happy to be at Mason,” she said. “I’m really glad I applied, and I can’t wait for the school year to start.”

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