Veterans Day

From the classroom to the courtroom: George Mason Scalia Law School student assists veteran at hearing

Colleen Rich — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 21:29:31 +0000

From the classroom to the courtroom: George Mason Scalia Law School student assists veteran at hearing Colleen Rich Thu, 10/31/2024 - 17:29

M-VETS gave ��AV third-year law student Danny Jenkins the kind of courtroom experience that no classroom could.

From left, M-VETS Director Timothy MacArthur, Student Advisor Danny Jenkins, and Assistant Director Raphael Johnson. Photo provided

Jenkins, a student advisor in the Scalia Law School, played a crucial role in helping a former servicemember take a substantial step toward securing the benefit he was owed.

The Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) provides free legal services to veterans and servicemembers, making it a unique program in legal education. Since its founding in 2004, it has become a model for similar clinics at law schools across the nation.

“That’s exactly why I wanted to be part of it,” said Jenkins, a 28-year-old Provo, Utah, native. “I’ve always felt indebted to our servicemembers for their sacrifice, and being able to really make a difference in a veteran’s daily life is extremely satisfying and rewarding.”

M-VETS Director Timothy M. MacArthur emphasized the clinic’s collaboration with George Mason’s Office of Military Services, the Military, Veterans, and Family Initiative, and the Center for Community Mental Health to better support veterans.

M-VETS enables George Mason law students to assist veterans, servicemembers, and their families with a wide range of litigation and non-litigation matters. Over the past two decades, the clinic has helped hundreds of clients from all five branches of the armed services, offering services like appeals for the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Board of Veterans Appeals for disability and educational benefit claims, and the filing of requests for increases in disability ratings. M-VETS services are available regardless of the veteran’s state of residence.

“Supporting our veterans is incredibly important, not only because of their sacrifices, but also because of the unique challenges they face after service,” MacArthur said. “They’ve served our country, and providing legal support is a way for me to show my gratitude.”

Jenkins, who plans to join the Army JAG Corps after graduating and passing the bar, volunteered to take on a case involving a client M-VETS had represented since 2018. The case stemmed from a claim for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for a DVA home loan, and finally went before a judge on Aug. 23 after nearly six years of litigation.

Jenkins conducted the hearing, arguing for the COE under MacArthur’s supervision, before the DVA’s Board of Veteran Appeals. The client, a Virginia Army National Guard veteran, had been denied the COE because he hadn’t met the required six years of service. During his initial training, the client had injured his right ankle while on active duty, which led to his discharge. Exceptions are allowed for those discharged from service due to a service-connected disability, but the veteran’s discharge papers didn’t indicate an injury-related separation.

Jenkins argued the motion and presented evidence proving that the discharge papers were inaccurate. While M-VETS awaits the ruling from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, it is helping the veteran to correct his records with the Board for Correction of Military Records to reflect a medical retirement.

“The most challenging part of this case was preparing for the hearing,” Jenkins said. “I needed to make sure I had information and research for any potential questions or issues that would arise, which required a tremendous amount of time and effort.”

While Jenkins doesn’t have a personal military background, his grandfather and father-in-law are veterans. Reflecting on the case, he described the experience as “incredibly satisfying,” offering the kind of real-world experience and personal satisfaction that no classroom could ever provide.

“I came to law school to help people, and most of your time in law school is spent in classrooms,” Jenkins said. “This unique opportunity allowed me to step outside the classroom and make a real difference in someone’s life.”

Learn more about the Antonin Scalia Law School

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Veterans Day

MBA military veterans share how the Mason MBA impacted their careers

Marianne Klinker — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:01:54 +0000

MBA military veterans share how the Mason MBA impacted their careers Marianne Klinker Thu, 11/09/2023 - 15:01

The Donald G. Costello College of Business at ��AV is committed to the active-duty military service members and veterans who come to Mason to enhance their education.

We caught up with some military veterans who recently graduated from the Mason MBA program who shared the impact the MBA program has had on their career already, and how the Mason MBA could be beneficial for others.

Matthew Scott

Matthew Scott, MBA ’21

Military Branch: United States Army 
Current Role: Acquisition Modernization Program Manager, Defense Logistics Agency

Earning an MBA from ��AV assisted with my transition from military to civilian life. The comprehensive management and technical skills acquired during my MBA journey significantly contributed to my hiring as the new Acquisition Modernization Program Manager for the Defense Logistics Agency.  

I believe one of the most valuable factors in gaining an MBA from Mason is expanding your real-time knowledge basis in critical areas to further develop and achieve current strategic goals while concurrently orchestrating future value in an ever-changing world. 

Matt Munsch

Matt Munsch, MBA ’22

Military Branch: United States Air Force 
Current Role: Director, Dark Wolf Solutions 

After graduating from Mason's MBA program, I was able to enter the next phase of my career.  

Shortly after graduating, I joined Google as a Technical Program Manager. After learning and growing with Google, I was able to continue propelling my career forward, joining Dark Wolf Solutions as a Director. 

The Mason MBA program gave me the skills, qualifications, and confidence to continue up leveling my career. Going back to school after more than a decade in the workforce was daunting but I do not regret my decision! 

Bradley B. Son

Bradley B. Son, MBA ’21

Military Branch: United States Army 
Current Role: Product Manager, Cyber Platforms & Systems, Defensive Cyber Operations, United States Army 

For myself, the MBA was more than career progression and networking. The aspect of my job in the Army Acquisition Corps requires me to fundamentally understand the aspects of business management to make decisions not only on behalf of my organization, but for the Army and the Department of Defense. My experience at ��AV greatly assisted me in many facets of my profession, which includes leadership, ethics, economics, marketing, information systems and operations management, project management, and many more! I can't thank the incredible organization, my outstanding cohort, and more importantly, the incredible instructors that helped guide me throughout my journey!

John Goetchius

John Goetchius, MBA ’21 

Military Branch: United States Army, Retired 
Current Role: Company Manager 

The Mason MBA program imparted new, useful technical and analytical skills—and the confidence to solve current, real-world business and management problems. I benefited from contact with an engaged, dedicated, highly competent faculty and a smart, diverse group of fellow students. Inside a well-planned curriculum, I found the program challenging—and deeply rewarding. 

Connor Mallon

Connor Mallon, MBA ’23 

Military Branch: United States Army 
Current Role: Strategy Consultant, NOVACES 

An MBA and the skillset that accompanied the degree helped me stand out in a saturated and competitive market. The program gave me the edge I needed to hit the ground running in a new career and the confidence to navigate complex challenges and demanding stakeholders. 

Ramon Walker

Ramon Walker, Jr., MBA ’23 

Military Branch: United States Air Force  
Current Role: Intelligence Research Specialist, United States Custom and Border Protection 

The Mason MBA program gave me an opportunity to network and I gained experience and skills that could be applied to reaching the upper echelons of my career field. 

Douglas Chapman

Douglas Chapman, MBA ’22 

Military Branch: United States Army 
Current Role: Vice President of Operations, CoreSys Consulting Services, LLC 

The MBA program at Mason enabled me to improve my business skills and expanded my aperture as related to strategic thinking.   

Did you know ��AV is a Yellow Ribbon Participant? Mason provides additional funds to eligible service members to pay education costs without charging your GI Bill® entitlement. Visit Mason's Office of Military Services to learn more about education benefits for veterans.

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A Special Veterans Day Message

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:32:20 +0000

A Special Veterans Day Message Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/01/2021 - 14:32

LR: Emily Fasick (Program Assistant), Dr. Niyati Dhokai (Program Director)

Happy Veterans Day! As we honor and celebrate the service of our Veterans and their families, we also look back at the past year and the amazing community we have sustained virtually through the Hylton Center's Veterans and the Arts Initiative. Through countless music and art workshops, we have played guitar and ukulele, taken smartphone photos and videos, and created mixed media. We have not only reflected on our own community's service through the arts, but also inspired others by sharing our work at the Virginia Women Veterans Summit and through the release of an innovative Tele-Arts Engagement Guide. The implementation guide shares how the Initiative created a virtual Ukulele Workshop Series that is inclusive and accessible to our diverse, intergenerational, military-connected community, and provides a template for others to create similar programming in their communities.

As we return to the Hylton Center for hybrid workshops this fall and into 2022, we draw upon our resilience as individuals and especially as a community. As Program Director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, I look forward to reflecting on this resilience joyfully through the music of husband-and-wife duo, Michael Trotter and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty on Sunday, November 14. The couple first met in 2010 at the aptly titled Spirit of Love festival in Maryland, where their artistic-romantic partnership began. Today, the couple continues to bring their very relatable struggles to their music including Trotter’s battle with PTSD as an Army Veteran. Their music speaks truthfully about their journey, including challenges encountered and the hope that they have sustained.

If you haven't heard about The War and Treaty yet, please read more about them and grab your tickets now! Tickets are free for Veterans and Servicemembers with ID (up to 2 tickets each, must be claimed in-person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office).

I look forward to seeing you at the Hylton Center!

Dr. Niyati Dhokai
Program Director, Veterans and the Arts Initiative, Hylton Performing Arts Center, and Research Associate Professor, College of Visual and Performing Arts

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Veterans Day

Mason alumnus Michael A. Bills reflects on his 42-year career in the U.S. Army

John Hollis — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Mason alumnus Michael A. Bills reflects on his 42-year career in the U.S. Army John Hollis Tue, 11/10/2020 - 05:30

Think about what ��AV students are dealing with right now, Mason President Gregory Washington said.

There is the ongoing pandemic and the daunting task of searching for a first job.

“But they also have to start thinking about what they want to do with their lives,” Washington said. “I want to be able to give them some feedback. Here are some of the big issues out there that you can solve, that you can attack with your Mason education.”

That feedback will come through interviews and discussions Washington will undertake with Mason faculty each month as a guest host on the university’s “Access to Excellence” podcast, available on platforms such as Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

Washington’s first podcast, just released, is with Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell, who talks about the presidential election, how Donald Trump has molded the Republican party in his own image, how to reform the electoral college, and where things go from here politically in this country.

“I’m hoping that a) students will listen, and b) they will use the feedback associated with this podcast to help chart their directions in terms of their majors, in terms of the directions they want to go in their own careers,” Washington said. “That’s the real motivator for me. I’m hoping to give them some clarity.”

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Scholarship helps Mason veteran realize his dream to serve America

John Hollis — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Scholarship helps Mason veteran realize his dream to serve America John Hollis Tue, 11/10/2020 - 05:30

Mason grad student applies lessons learned from the Marine Corps to his studies

John Hollis — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 10:00:00 +0000

Mason grad student applies lessons learned from the Marine Corps to his studies John Hollis Fri, 11/08/2019 - 05:00

Rediet Woldeselassie served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and did two combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. (photo provided)

School can be stressful, but ��AV alumnus Rediet Woldeselassie has the benefit of perspective after 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps that included three combat tours and a stint in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Now a second-year master’s student studying health informatics with a concentration in health data analytics, Woldeselassie, 35, takes the unexpected ups and downs in stride.

“I learned not to stress,” he said. “School is stressful, a whole different kind of stress. But I also learned that it isn’t a permanent stress because there’s always ways around it. Learning that helps you to grow.”

It’s the kind of maturity you might expect from a seasoned Marine who completed two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan before leaving the Marine Corps as a gunnery sergeant in 2014. Known affectionately to his friends as “Red,” Woldeselassie enlisted in the Marine Corps in the months following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was serving in New Orleans as a logistics and supply administrator in the months following Katrina’s landfall, lending a helping hand to locals rebuilding their lives.

“It was pretty satisfying,” said Woldeselassie, who is a recipient this year of the ERPi Patriot Scholarship available to veterans and their dependents. “We got to build schools and help people. We were able to make a real difference.”

Following his departure from the military in 2014, Woldeselassie enrolled at Mason on the GI Bill the following year. But the transition to civilian life wasn’t easy. He was much older than his new classmates and had seen more real adversity than anything most of them might ever imagine. And he knew nothing about college life.

But Woldeselassie wasn’t about to let any of that deter him.

“There was definitely an adjustment period because I didn’t know anything about this lifestyle,” he said. “I knew about the military, but I didn’t know anything about college. So I challenged myself to learn as much as I could do about it. It took a little bit of humbling, but, at the same time, that was important because this was the life I wanted to be successful at right now.”

He proved to be as up to that challenge as he was to those he faced while serving in the Marine Corps. As an undergraduate, Woldeselassie worked as a research assistant in Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, analyzing the impact of education on minority and underrepresented university students. He earned a bachelor of science in health administration in May 2018 before immediately starting grad school two weeks later.

Since 2016, Woldeselassie has been actively involved with the National Academy of Medicine, volunteering as a research case author and lead co-author for the D.C. Public Health Case Challenge. He’s had several of his works published on public health topics such as gentrification, cancer, child brain development and maternal mortality. Woldeselassie said he hopes to become a data scientist or get involved in analytics.

In the meantime, he’s serving as the assistant transition coordinator for Mason’s Office of Military Services, said Director Jennifer Connors.

“Red’s contributions to student veteran success extends far beyond the campus community,” Connors said. “He is an active voice on the national stage, both in his academic research and advocacy for student veterans. We are lucky to have him!”

This wasn’t exactly the path Woldeselassie envisioned while in high school, but he says he’d have it no other way.

“There are steps to everything,” he said. “You can’t skip steps. If you skip steps, then you may miss the lesson.”

Veterans Day

From the classroom to the courtroom: George Mason Scalia Law School student assists veteran at hearing

Learn more about the Antonin Scalia Law School

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MBA military veterans share how the Mason MBA impacted their careers

Matthew Scott, MBA ’21

Matt Munsch, MBA ’22

Bradley B. Son, MBA ’21

John Goetchius, MBA ’21

Connor Mallon, MBA ’23

Ramon Walker, Jr., MBA ’23

Douglas Chapman, MBA ’22

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Learn more about Mason's MBA program

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A Special Veterans Day Message

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Mason alumnus Michael A. Bills reflects on his 42-year career in the U.S. Army

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Mason grad student applies lessons learned from the Marine Corps to his studies

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Connor Mallon, MBA ’23 

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