Mason Virginia Promise

first-generation

Strategic Direction

��AV’s College of Education and Human Development partners with NOVA and Loudoun County Public Schools on new Lab School

Colleen Rich — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:32:59 +0000

��AV’s College of Education and Human Development partners with NOVA and Loudoun County Public Schools on new Lab School Colleen Rich Mon, 04/29/2024 - 15:32

The Virginia Board of Education has approved funding for ��AV to launch the Accelerated College and Employability Skills (ACCESS) Academy, a collaborative partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). This lab school will be based inside K-12 public schools as part of shared goals to increase pathways for students from high school to college and on to high-demand careers.

Photo provided

“George Mason is making bold steps toward creating different pathways for all students through these partnerships with K-12 and community colleges to ensure access to higher education and high-demand, well-compensated careers,” said Dean Ingrid Guerra-López of George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). “Our focus on innovative, problem-based learning and skills needed for the future workforce will ensure students have robust wrap-around supports all the way through their education and early careers to build a better future for themselves and their communities.”

Based in Loudoun County Public Schools supporting 9th-12th grades, ACCESS Academy will incorporate employability skills, innovative teaching and learning methods, and experiences co-designed with industry partners, researchers, and instructional faculty. ACCESS Academy will have direct on-ramps for 11th and 12th grade students, and phased-in lab school preparation during 9th and 10th grades.

“We’re excited to partner with George Mason and NOVA to increase access to unique learning opportunities for our students,” said LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence. “ACCESS Academy will provide innovative educational experiences for students that will lead to certifications and two- and four-year degrees, as well as support students with access to high-demand and well-compensated jobs in the information technology fields. We have heard loud and clear from our community that our students need alternative pathways to college. And this is just one way we are getting them there."

Academy students in grades 9 and 10 will focus on completion of high school graduation requirements including English, social studies, math, and science. They will begin to develop employability skills through teaching, learning, and curriculum innovations that leverage other existing programs in students’ base schools. They also will be introduced to problem-based learning through focused activities that include guided practice and support the development of problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, systems thinking, and research skills.

ACCESS Academy is rooted in transdisciplinary collaboration harnessing a broad range of faculty expertise to design and deliver the curriculum. This learning ecosystem of faculty from George Mason’s CEHD and Information Technology Program, NOVA, and LCPS, as well as business and industry leaders, will create a replicable model for student success.

Researchers and industry partners will also work side by side with ACCESS students as part of a new Learning Innovation Lab, where teaching and learning innovations will be applied, evaluated, adapted, and disseminated. The Learning Innovation Lab will become a training ground for current and future educators as teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and faculty across a wide range of disciplines, including Information Technology. It will also expand evidence-based education research and talent development best practices for educational leaders, instructional systems designers, and policymakers, as well as industry and community partners.

NOVA Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Eun-Woo Chang said, “NOVA is excited to join this partnership to help students develop employability skills through an innovative curriculum that leverages our extensive dual enrollment program with high schools in the Northern Virginia region, especially with LCPS. Students will be immersed in activities designed to cultivate essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and research skills.”

The expanded partnership with NOVA is part of the Mason Virginia Promise, which helps create a pathway to a bachelor’s degree for every Virginian who wants one. George Mason and NOVA’s flagship ADVANCE Program is designed to augment the transfer experience for community college students pursuing a bachelor's degree by removing common barriers and providing early support in their educational journey.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the partnership agreements with colleges and universities to establish K-12 lab schools in January 2022.

Topics

College of Education and Human Development

At ��AV, President Gregory Washington Is Building the Future

Kristin Heydt — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:33:24 +0000

At ��AV, President Gregory Washington Is Building the Future Kristin Heydt Wed, 02/07/2024 - 13:33

President Gregory Washington is featured in a profile of his leadership on Mason's campus.

Mason, PVCC make ADVANCE partnership official

Colleen Rich — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:11:53 +0000

Mason, PVCC make ADVANCE partnership official Colleen Rich Fri, 10/13/2023 - 11:11

Topics

Picture This

Small Business Development Center

Award will help Virginia SBDC assist businesses looking to go global

Sarah Holland — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:16:59 +0000

Award will help Virginia SBDC assist businesses looking to go global Sarah Holland Mon, 06/26/2023 - 10:16

The Virginia Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) International Business Development (IBD) program is a Stage One winner for the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The Virginia SBDC, hosted through ��AV, will receive a $50,000 cash prize to, according to their press release, “build strategic partnerships that will support the launch, growth, and scale of STEM/R&D-focused small businesses with a focus on international markets.”

Members of the SBDC team from the IBD and Charlottesville offices pose with Antwaun Griffin, head of socially responsible purchasing at Amazon Business and the former chief of staff at SBA. Photo provided.

The Virginia SBDC network of 27 regional centers serves current and prospective small businesses around the commonwealth by providing ongoing support and resources to help them achieve their short- and long-term goals. They offer confidential, no-cost advising to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals hoping to start and/or grow their businesses, as well as training and workshops for business management and connecting business leaders to critical resources such as funding partners. Businesses from hair salons and toy companies to IT consulting and manufacturing have utilized SBDC services to develop successful business models.

On President Washington’s Access to Excellence podcast, Paula Sorrell, associate vice president for innovation and economic development at Mason, called this methodology a “no wrong door approach”: no matter where they come from or where they’re going, an entrepreneur can go to an SBDC and be connected to resources to get them to where they need to be.

The Virginia SBDC is part of the larger Mason Virginia Promise, which promises a pathway to a bachelor’s degree or small business for any Virginian who wants one. Through the SBDC, Mason has an estimated economic impact in Virginia of more than $1 billion.

“The Mason Virginia Promise is a commitment from the university to say that we are available and accessible to everyone in the commonwealth,” said Jody Keenan, state director of the Virginia SBDC. “We can meet you where you are and figure out what’s the best game plan to help you accomplish whatever goals or milestones you have for yourself or your business.”

The IBD specifically helps businesses expand into international markets through market research, training programs, and customized business advising on topics such as market selection, regulatory compliance, and the mechanics of trade. The IBD’s goal is to be issue-spotters: preventing small business from making costly mistakes in foreign markets.

Through its GAFC-supported project, the IBD program will enhance its services to Virginia’s STEM companies. “Innovative firms with global aspirations have an entirely different set of considerations they need to incorporate into their business practices,” said Aaron Miller, international trade director for the IBD.

With the prize money, Miller explained that the IBD will “convene partners and potential partners to discuss how we can best provide foundational awareness on international issues—such as intellectual property protection, data privacy, and export control laws—for more STEM companies. In particular, we will be seeking more ways to engage with founders from underserved communities to ensure that resources are being equitably provided.” To that end, they are building on their partnership with the Black and Global Business Network and hope to create a tailored approach to training and counseling for traditionally underserved and under-resourced companies.

“We want to make international expansion part of an integrated, inclusive approach to business assistance for high-potential STEM firms. Hopefully, this new focus helps more innovative Virginia businesses to enter and succeed in global markets,” said Miller.

The IBD will have the opportunity to compete for an additional $50,000 to $150,000 from the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund later this summer.

Topics

Economic Development

New Office of Community College Partnerships to support the Mason Virginia Promise

Colleen Rich — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:52:30 +0000

New Office of Community College Partnerships to support the Mason Virginia Promise Colleen Rich Mon, 04/10/2023 - 10:52

��AV is launching an Office of Community College Partnerships to expand the Mason Virginia Promise, a program that guarantees every Virginian the opportunity to earn a four-year degree or assistance to start a business.

The Office of Community College Partnerships will be home to the ADVANCE Program partnership between Mason and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)—one of the largest and most successful transfer pathways in the country—as well as budding partnerships with community colleges across the state.

“��AV is in the success business, and the Office of Community College Partnerships will help more Virginians be successful in reaching their academic and professional goals while strengthening the economic fabric of the commonwealth,” Mason President Gregory Washington said.

Featured on PBS NewsHour last year, the ADVANCE Program has been lauded nationally. ADVANCE students who come to Mason graduate two semesters faster than non-ADVANCE transfer students, and 92% of ADVANCE transfers graduate from Mason in less than two years.

There are now more than 3,600 active students in the ADVANCE Program, including 479 who joined for the spring semester. The fall-to-fall retention rate for the fall 2020 cohort at NOVA is 83% in ADVANCE, far surpassing the national average of 61%.

Northern Virginia Community College grads are welcomed at an ADVANCE event. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Since the program launched six years ago, more than 100 students have graduated from both NOVA and Mason. ADVANCE students are 60% first-generation, 68% students of color and 39% Pell Grant-eligible.

The expanded partners include Germanna Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and Tidewater Community College. There are future partnerships under discussion with multiple community colleges across Virginia.

“The Office of Community College Partnerships and the strength of Mason’s ongoing partnership with NOVA will help to ensure these new programs are a success,” said Jason Dodge, ADVANCE program director and executive director of the Office of Community College Partnerships. “The mutual goal has always been to rethink transfer—and we are proud to say that has been accomplished. We are now ready to scale its success.”

Rita Snyder Furr will serve as associate director of the Office of Community College Partnerships. In this expanded role, in addition to her continued support of the NOVA partnership, Rita will also support the operations of all transfer partnerships under the purview of the office.

Topics

Office of Community College Partnerships

Gift from Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation supports Mason’s EIP

John Hollis — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 18:19:17 +0000

Gift from Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation supports Mason’s EIP John Hollis Fri, 10/07/2022 - 14:19

Topics

Early Identification Program (EIP)

You can read the full announcement here.

Germanna transfer students can join Mason Nation through the Mason Virginia Promise

John Hollis — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 17:37:40 +0000

Germanna transfer students can join Mason Nation through the Mason Virginia Promise John Hollis Wed, 06/08/2022 - 13:37

Mason President Gregory Washington with recent Germanna Community College graduates and incoming Mason students (from left to right) Amara Zavala, Michele Adjei-Fah, Grant Davis and William McDonnell at Germanna's Fredericksburg campus. Photo by Germanna Community College

Recent Germanna Community College (GCC) graduate William McDonnell traveled to Fredericksburg this week to meet with ��AV President Gregory Washington and Germanna President Janet Gullickson to learn more about the Mason Virginia Promise (MVP) and the Mason Academy at GCC. Part of MVP initiative, the new Mason Academy at GCC is a localized guided degree transfer program.

“This is a great thing and I’m glad to be a part of it,” McDonnell said following Monday’s afternoon’s formal signing of the agreement between Mason and Germanna that brings the first Mason Academy to Virginia students as part of the Mason Virginia Promise (MVP) initiative.

“The Mason Virginia Promise is built on the belief that education and success should be available to everyone,” Washington said in his remarks. “This is a critical time in our nation for students and families with a shifting economy and rapid technologic growth requiring a new skilled workforce. Mason is redefining what it means to be inclusive and allow everyone to participate in a thriving economy.”

The new Mason Academy at Germanna delivers a locally focused and streamlined pathway for degrees in business, cyber security and other programs that can align with Germanna’s College Everywhere initiative. The Academy highlights one-time admissions and financial aid process, significant cost savings and access to additional grant programs, as well as a dedicated advisor for each student through their college journey to ensure success with no loss of credits.

Joining McDonnell at the community college’s campus in Fredericksburg were additional graduates and Mason transfer students Grant Davis, Michele Adjei-Fah and Amara Zavala.

Adjei-Fah, an African native who plans to study biomed, said she was attracted to Mason from the outset. “It’s the diversity and the opportunity for an African woman like me of color,” she said.

Zavala cited Mason’s “accessibility, diversity and diversity of studies” as her reasons for attending Monday’s ceremony.

As part of financial aid, Mason will reimburse its tuition and fees for Mason Academy transfer students if they have met other grant-based scholarship and family household income level requirements.

"Germanna and George Mason are both committed to bringing higher education within reach of every Virginian. Earning an associate's degree at GCC makes the pursuit of a bachelor's degree more affordable,” Gullickson said.

Part of the Mason Virginia Promise initiative, the Mason Academy program will be available to select Virginia community colleges, and is an extension of the successful ADVANCE Program partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) that was launched in 2018.

Mason’s MVP initiative also includes training and financial support for all Virginians who aspire to start a business through Mason Enterprise’s suite of entrepreneur and small business programs, including 27 Small Business Development Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, five Northern Virginia technology incubators, and other federal, state and local support programs.

Topics

Office of the President

Students

��AV Launches its First Mason Academy with Germanna Community College

Melanie Balog — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 16:39:31 +0000

��AV Launches its First Mason Academy with Germanna Community College Melanie Balog Tue, 06/07/2022 - 12:39

Fredericksburg, VA – ��AV and Germanna Community College have announced a new partnership bringing the first Mason Academy program to Virginia students. The Mason Academy is a localized guided degree transfer program that is in alliance with a Virginia community college and is part of the Mason Virginia Promise (MVP) initiative. The partnership was formalized during a signing ceremony at Germanna’s campus in Fredericksburg on June 6, 2022.

“The Mason Virginia Promise is built on the belief that education and success should be available to everyone. This is a critical time in our nation for students and families with a shifting economy and rapid technologic growth requiring a new skilled workforce,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. “Mason is redefining what it means to be inclusive and allow everyone to participate in a thriving economy. We are committed to providing pathways for all Virginians, through education and business, and to ensure students are equipped in addressing the grand challenges to our planet and society.”

Mason President Gregory Washington and Germanna President Janet Gullickson celebrate the Mason Academy at Germanna on June 6, 2022. Photo by Germanna Community College.

The new Mason Academy at Germanna delivers a locally focused and streamlined pathway for degrees in Business, Cyber Security and other programs that can align with Germanna’s College Everywhere initiative. The Academy highlights one-time admissions and financial aid process, significant cost savings and access to additional grant programs, as well as a dedicated advisor for each student through their college journey to ensure success with no loss of credits. As part of financial aid, Mason will also reimburse its tuition and fees for Mason Academy transfer students if they have met other grant-based scholarship and family household income level requirements.

"Germanna and George Mason are both committed to bringing higher education within reach of every Virginian. Earning an associate's degree at GCC makes the pursuit of a bachelor's degree more affordable,” said Germanna President Janet Gullickson. “Our accelerated, online College Everywhere program makes a two-year degree more accessible for students, who work while taking classes and caring for families. And the new Mason Academy offers Germanna graduates a pathway and a supportive bridge to a bachelor's degree at a top university.”

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 80 percent of students attending community colleges say they want to earn a four-year degree, but only 30 percent of community college students succeed in transferring to a four-year institution in 2020. The 2021 update shows that lower-income students were half as likely as their higher-income peers to have transferred to a four-year institution and attain a bachelor’s degree within six years of first entry to a community college

Part of the Mason Virginia Promise initiative, the Mason Academy program will be available to select Virginia community colleges, and is an extension of the successful ADVANCE program partnership with NOVA Virginia Community College (NOVA) that was launched in 2018. George Mason’s MVP initiative also includes training and financial support for all Virginians who aspire to start a business through Mason Enterprise’s suite of entrepreneur and small business programs, including 27 Small Business Development Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, five Northern Virginia technology incubators, and other federal, state and local support programs. Last year, the Mason Enterprise team advised and supported 11,000 small businesses with 42,000 hours of one-on-one counseling. In addition, 20,000 entrepreneurs took part in 753 no-cost or low-cost training programs. Mason’s entrepreneur and small business programs have made a $1.6 billion impact in the commonwealth.

Germanna’s College Everywhere is an innovative, streamlined 100 percent online program that has been particularly successful in enrolling male students, a demographic that’s declined at most colleges around the country, with a high student success rate.

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About George Mason University

��AV is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls nearly 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at gmu.edu.

About Germanna Community College

Germanna Community College is a community college in Virginia with campuses in Locust Grove, Fredericksburg, Stafford and Culpeper. Founded in 1970, the college takes its name from a group of settlers at Germanna Ford on the Rapidan River, where Governor Alexander Spotswood established a frontier fort and settlement in 1714 for the German miners and their families. Learn more at germanna.edu.

Learn About the Mason Virginia Promise

Explore the benefits of Virginia Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Topics

Mason Academy

Press Release

Stu Shea, Peraton CEO and Mason's Commencement Speaker Q&A

Kristin Heydt — Thu, 05 May 2022 18:05:30 +0000

Stu Shea, Peraton CEO and Mason's Commencement Speaker Q&A Kristin Heydt Thu, 05/05/2022 - 14:05

Peraton CEO Stu Shea, who will speak at Mason's Commencement May 20, discusses success, life, careers, and how Mason prepares graduates for the world ahead in this Q&A.

Q: Your career as a leader in the security, intelligence, business and technology industries incorporates some of Mason’s many programmatic strengths. How does one carve out a distinguished career that encompasses all of those areas?

A: I believe careers are really built from a combination of hard work, luck, and serendipity. At the beginning of my own career, I sought out opportunities to pursue my passions. There is far less value in living someone else’s dream than in living your own. As a young person just starting my career, I felt that life was too short to follow predetermined paths. The confluence of security, intelligence, business, and technology was both a passion and a way of life for me. I was curious about the world and convinced that technology was foundational to having a global perspective and a competitive advantage, so I dove in headfirst believing that one day my family, community, nation, and our very way of life would depend on the results of the work I was undertaking. I took that responsibility seriously, knowing there were real lives and missions of consequence that depended on me doing my job well.
Looking back on the dots connecting my past to my present, I have been very fortunate to support our national security for the past 40 years. However, describing what I have done as a “distinguished” career is a moniker others place on what I have been honored to do. In fact, I would characterize my career as “blessed”; I got to do what I loved and was entrusted, through my work and service, to protect the freedoms of so many people.

Stu Shea

"We look for people who have grit and aren’t afraid of the impossible, who push the envelope to achieve innovation that benefits the greater good. Graduates who bring these qualities … have everything we’re looking for."

Q: Peraton has hired more than 450 Mason alumni among its 6,000 employees in the region, so you must be pleased with the talent that Mason produces. What qualities do you and your team look for in the people you hire and promote, and how do Mason grads exhibit these qualities?

A: We always look for the smartest people, the most motivated, and the most diverse, but all those qualities pale in comparison to finding the person who best exemplifies our corporate values. Anyone who truly internalizes and exhibits our core values—to honor those we serve; maintain selflessness for the team; operate with integrity and trust; treat others with respect; constantly innovate; deliver excellence in value and capability—has the potential to be a valued contributor and high performer for Peraton.

Education can be taught. Experience can be gained. But honor, integrity, and respect must be embodied in the soul of a person. We look for people who have grit and aren’t afraid of the impossible, who push the envelope to achieve innovation that benefits the greater good. Graduates who bring these qualities, along with a desire to impact the world, have everything we’re looking for. I look forward to hiring hundreds more of your alumni.

Q: One of Mason’s defining pillars is diversity in its many forms—diversity of origin, identity, circumstance, thought, and so on. How important is diversity to innovation and performance and how might students coming out of Mason, Virginia’s most diverse public university, have a leg up on the competition?

A: There is incredible value in the diversity of thought, experience, culture, education, etc. that is personified by ��AV. The work Dr. Washington has done to lead a university that extends diversity beyond race and ethnicity, and invites people, of all backgrounds and cultures, to become such an impactful force is both palpable in its focus and impressive in its outcomes.

Diversity fuels the determination and courage of both Mason and Peraton to accomplish the impossible. It is noteworthy that about a quarter of Mason graduates are the first in their family to go to college. These students overcame bias and barriers to chart an unmarked course in pursuit of a better future than the one they were born into.

Diversity is the summation of our strengths and allows an individual to see a door where others see a wall. As graduates of Virginia’s most diverse public university, armed with incredible academic offerings like the nation’s first cybersecurity engineering program, the sky’s the limit for what Mason graduates can and will achieve in the future.

Q: Fifty-eight percent of Mason undergrads say they completed an internship while at Mason, so there is a lot of room for growth in that area. Internships help students clarify their career goals, build relevant skills, develop contacts, and land jobs. Should area employers invest more resources in internships and apprenticeships to reap the benefits later on?

A: Absolutely. Investments in internships should be a critical element in a company’s talent acquisition strategy. It certainly is at Peraton. Our University Recruiting and Relations (UR&R) program is growing and expanding in line with our overall company growth. We are excited to provide internships and full-time opportunities to students and graduates from Mason, as well as other leading universities around the country. 

Peraton engages with students and faculty throughout the year, partnering with universities to work with students on capstone projects, research symposia, poster sessions, hack-a-thons, and other events. We recruit a large pool of college students each year for experiential learning opportunities through our Cooperative Education and Internship Program (CEIP) and our formal summer internship program. Both allow students to learn valuable engineering and analytical skills, apply them to real world problems, and better prepare them to start their career at Peraton. 

Diversity … allows an individual to see a door where others see a wall. As graduates of Virginia’s most diverse public university … the sky’s the limit for what Mason graduates can and will achieve in the future.

Q: Mason is the educational, economic, and cultural hub of Northern Virginia. You’ve served on Mason’s College of Science Advisory Board and have many other connections to the university. How would you characterize Mason’s role in regard to innovation and the economic health and future of Northern Virginia?

A: As one of the nation’s top research universities, Mason is influencing change in our world. Having overcome funding hardships and its fair share of naysayers, Mason was built on the backbone of people who wouldn’t accept no for an answer. Mason graduates are impatient to tackle the greatest challenges this world has to offer and, thus, don’t wait for permission to act.

The technological legacy of this institution has fueled progress at a highly accelerated rate; innovations originating from Mason have the capacity to change the world. As the world struggles to recover from the past two years, Mason is paving a better path forward for our economy, our communities, and our nation through its Mason Virginia Promise program.

Having only been established in the last 50 years, the Mason legacy was built by doers who persevered to bring about change and become America’s top university. Mason’s culture of curiosity allowed it to become the youngest university to receive R1 research status in the country, bolstering its case as Virginia’s most innovative institution. Changing the world doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with a refusal to accept the status quo and progresses through small steps fueled by steadfast work.

Q: Many Mason students have overcome obstacles to attend college and more than 1 in 4 are the first in their family to do so. What should Mason students—regardless of their major or area of interest—be doing now to prepare for successful careers?

A: My framework for achieving career success is the following: Think it. Believe it. Live it. Achieve it. Always follow your gut instinct, create, and believe in the vision of what the world could be in the future. You must reverse engineer that end goal and live it every day, in every way through words and actions to, ultimately, be successful at it.

The education you are receiving at Mason is world-class. Dr. Washington and the faculty have prepared you to repair the world you’re about to enter while simultaneously empowering you with the tools to build the world of tomorrow. The only thing left to do is to act. Dive headfirst into the things in life that set your soul ablaze and get your neurons firing into the realm of possibility. That’s a fair indicator you’re on the right path.

Qualifications and competency can be taught but the future needs more people who embody honor, integrity, and respect and believe they have the power to affect change. At Peraton, we challenge our employees to “do the can’t be done,” which is a mindset that turns obstacles into opportunities. We encourage employees to think differently and look at all problems with fresh eyes. We look past the obvious to bring the best talent, tech, and ideas together to completely transform how things are done.

Q: Mason graduates would like to know: What is the best piece of advice you ever received, personally or professionally, and how has that advice helped shape your life and career?

A: One of my most valued mentors was Walt Havenstein, the former CEO of SAIC, who taught me an invaluable lesson in what I considered to be a rich learning experience. One day at work, I became quite emotional telling Walt how he was “missing the point” on an important topic, and the choices I was comparing for him “were clearly different.” In fact, I was so focused on convincing him how different they were that I got up and drew a picture of the differences on a whiteboard. Walt calmly asked me to follow him, and led me 100 feet down the hallway, where he asked me to turn around and look at the whiteboard. He told me, “Now look at them. Are they really all that different now?” As I squinted down at the 100-foot hallway, all I saw was a single black blob on whiteboard. At that distance, my original two items were indistinguishable. “It all depends on your perspective,” said Walt. “Always keep things in perspective.”

While that sticks with me the most, I also recall advice from my thesis advisor, Dr. George Jenks, who gave me an article to read. He told me that it was relevant to my master's thesis—but as I read it, and I reread it, these two pages, probably for a month and a half—I couldn't begin to understand how it was relevant. It had nothing to do with my thesis! I was practically ready to hold it up to a blacklight to search for clues or hidden meanings. I was so frustrated.

And Dr. Jenks said, “Have you read every word on it?” In the article there was a picture. There was a little circle and a big circle. The little circle said: what one knows. The big circle said: “what one does not know”. Then it had the following expression: “the value of what one knows is doubled if one confesses to not knowing what one does not know.”

What he was saying was that as soon as you realize how much you still have to learn, you're a whole lot smarter. For me, this lesson drove my thirst for knowledge. I became a voracious reader, reading widely across all types of subjects. Have a desire to learn. Your curiosity will be rewarded.

Collectively, guidance like this has led me toward a life of learning and self-awareness, and a willingness to try new things every day. It also gave rise to my own advice to others, which is to “be unafraid of the impossible.”

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: There was one point from Dr. Washington’s 50th anniversary celebration speech in April that really stood out to me. He said, “you don’t come this far this fast by being like the others. You actually have to be just a little different.”
Peraton, like Mason, is a young organization. You are 50 years old, we are five years old. Like Mason, Peraton was created to respond to a changing world. Our people are hungry for innovation and walking the tightrope between the impossible and the capacity of human potential in every major industry.
As two Northern Virginia-based organizations, George Mason is in Peraton’s backyard, and we are in Mason’s backyard. Mason’s tenets – research, innovation, diversity – closely align with Peraton. For a Mason graduate, we consider it a natural progression to work with a company like Peraton. We create the jobs that you study and train for, and serve missions that support our national security. But there are many organizations that could benefit from your talents and reward your efforts. Ultimately, I hope you have the opportunity to drive change, to be yourself, and to become what makes you happy. If you keep this guidance in mind, the rest of the pieces will fall into place along the way.

Changing the world doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with a refusal to accept the status quo and progresses through small steps fueled by steadfast work.

Topics

Commencement