Arlington Fellows Program / en Schar School Alumna Shares Unique Insights on Her Journey to Immigration Policy Work /news/2024-04/schar-school-alumna-shares-unique-insights-her-journey-immigration-policy-work <span>Schar School Alumna Shares Unique Insights on Her Journey to Immigration Policy Work</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/586" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Andrew J Schappert</span></span> <span>Mon, 04/29/2024 - 09:38</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="d493644f-3069-44db-af8d-6521f8dc7122"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://schar.gmu.edu/why-study-here/admissions/request-more-information"> <h4 class="cta__title">Request Schar School program information <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-question-circle" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; 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--fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text"><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB">AV alumna Sophia Wozniak, who double majored in history and </span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/programs/undergraduate/government-and-international-politics">government and international politics</a><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB">, served as a guest speaker for the </span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/">Schar School of Policy and Government</a><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB">’s </span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/current-students/undergraduate-learning-communities/ir-policy-task-force">International Relations Policy Task Force</a><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"> students during their </span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/news/2024-04/exploring-border-narratives-another-successful-trip-international-relations-policy">spring break trip</a><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"> to the United States-Mexico border.</span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2024-04/sophie-wozniak-300x300.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="A young woman with long brown hair wearing a black shirt smiles into the camera." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>‘The Schar School was such a huge catalyst in the dominos of me ending up where I am now.’</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>Wozniak, who graduated in 2019</span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span></span><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span> shared with students her journey from a graduate to a project<span> and data evaluator at the Emergence</span> Health Network, a local mental health authority for the El Paso, Texas, community. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>She emphasized how influential the Schar School has been on her career. While at George Mason, she served as a research assistant, participated in the Oxford study-abroad program, and completed the </span></span></span><a href="https://fellows.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span>Arlington Fellow</span><span><span>s Program</span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>“My trajectory changed with the study-abroad program I did with the Schar School, a winter one-week immersion trip in Mexico City on U.S.-Mexico relations,” Wozniak said. “It was really informative, and it got me really interested in North American relations.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>Wozniak was so deeply influenced by her various Schar School experiences that she moved to El Paso after graduation to make greater change. There, she completed her master’s degree in political science at the University of Texas in El Paso. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>Before transitioning into immigration policy work, Wozniak was a program coordinator contributing to community development at El Paso.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>“I worked as a program coordinator for after-school programs for high school students for three years where I provided job training, college preparation, general mentorship and family coordination,” she said. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>While she enjoyed her work in social services, she felt compelled to transition into policy work, leading her to the Emergence Health Network.</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span> In her current role, Wozniak focuses on government contracting for mental health services for people who are uninsured or underinsured, as well as working on internal policy in El Paso<span>.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>“The Schar School was such a huge catalyst in the dominos of me ending up where I am now,” </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>she said. “If it were not for the spring break trip to Mexico, I would have never discovered my deep interest in immigration issues and policy work.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span><span>For now, Wozniak enjoys the internal policy work in which she engages and the significant positive impact it has on immigrant and minority families. She hopes one day to return to the Washington, D.C., to further focus on policy, where she believes her personal experiences in El Paso will provide a unique perspective required for legislation impacting migrants’ lives, a view she feels policy makers often lack.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13031" hreflang="en">International Relations Policy Task Force</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13331" hreflang="en">Government and International Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19401" hreflang="en">Arlington Fellows Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/556" hreflang="en">Schar School of Policy and Government</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19301" hreflang="en">Schar School News for April 2024</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/536" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:38:34 +0000 Andrew J Schappert 111811 at