first-generation

Rubiera becomes the first ADVANCE MVP student to matriculate to George Mason

Colleen Rich — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:22:20 +0000

Rubiera becomes the first ADVANCE MVP student to matriculate to George Mason Colleen Rich Mon, 09/09/2024 - 10:22

Alizé Rubiera was focused on graduating from community college and had never heard of ��AV’s ADVANCE Program until she received an e-mail that changed her life last fall.

Photo by John Hollis/Office of University Branding

For Rubiera, this program was the catalyst that led to the 19-year-old Fredericksburg native to transfer from Germanna Community College to George Mason to begin her junior year. Now, she is proudly poised to become the first person in her family to earn a college degree.

ADVANCE, part of the Mason Virginia Promise (MVP) initiative, is a collaborative partnership between ��AV and several Virginia community colleges, designed to enhance the transfer experience for community college students pursuing a bachelor's degree. These partnerships offer significant cost savings, a simplified admission and financial aid process, and access to additional grant programs, all while benefiting from the support of a dedicated advisor to ensure success with no loss of credits.

George Mason’s partnership with Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was announced in June 2022.

“It feels amazing,” Rubiera said of her eventual graduation. “My mom reminds me every day, and I feel like I’m motivating and inspiring my brothers and sisters. I want them to see that we can do this—that we’re allowed to go to college and have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

The second-youngest of five children, Rubiera, is majoring in criminology, law and society, with aspirations of becoming a criminal defense attorney. Due to graduate in spring 2026, she chose George Mason not only for its criminology program, but also for its diversity. This fall, Rubiera is among the many new faces on the Fairfax Campus and is notably the first ADVANCE MVP student to transfer to George Mason after completing two years at community college.

“Alizé is an MVP trailblazer,” said Rita Alcala, associate director of the Office of Community College Partnerships at George Mason. “Her story and recent transition to George Mason underscore the ADVANCE Program’s importance and its ongoing impact through its extended partnerships. With clear academic pathways, coaching support, and streamlined admissions and matriculation processes, ADVANCE and its partners help make a bachelor’s degree more accessible to community college students across Virginia.”

Rubiera’s story is common among Virginia community college students seeking a better life, as 64% of ADVANCE students identify as first-generation college students.

Currently 60 students are enrolled in the ADVANCE MVP Program across its five extended partner institutions, outside of the flagship institution partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), with more students expected to enroll this coming academic year. George Mason officials expect at least one more ADVANCE MVP extended partnership student to transition to its Fairfax Campus in Spring 2025.

Overall, 66% of Virginia Community College System students now have access to ADVANCE at their respective community colleges.

Rubiera credits her ADVANCE advisor, Dana Brantley, for being invaluable support throughout the transfer process. “She was always reliable whenever I needed guidance,” Rubiera said. “Having an advisor who is available when you’re unsure or confused is crucial, and Dana was always there for me.”

It all started with an unexpected e-mail nearly a year ago. “That e-mail provided me an opportunity that I am extremely grateful for,” Rubiera said.

Learn more about ADVANCE

Explore the growing list of ADVANCE pathways for community college students

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Students

Mason Virginia Promise

ADVANCE

first-generation

Strategic Direction

George Mason team creates augmented reality campus tour for transfer students

Shayla Brown — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:03:10 +0000

George Mason team creates augmented reality campus tour for transfer students Shayla Brown Thu, 07/18/2024 - 14:03

A team from ��AV is using augmented reality (AR) to create a smartphone app that will provide first-generation ADVANCE students with a virtual tour of the Fairfax Campus as they prepare to transfer from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).

ADVANCE is a collaborative effort between George Mason and Virginia’s community colleges to create a seamless pathway for students’ transfer to a four-year institution.

Kelly Schrum. Photo provided.

The AR project is co-directed by Kelly Schrum, a professor in George Mason’s Higher Education Program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron, an associate professor in the School of Integrative Studies.

The app, created using ARway, will provide students with interactive GPS tracking and indoor visual positioning through a geolocation feature, directing students to their location as they travel from point A to point B.

“One of the things this tool does really well is, if you say, ‘I’d like to find the gender-neutral bathroom,’ or ‘I would like to take the elevator,’ or ‘I would like to find disability services,’ you can select it from the directory, and it’ll basically hold your hand and guide you the whole way there,” said Schrum.

The team is focusing on the four floors in Student Union Building (SUB) I, which houses on-campus student support services including the Mason Student Services Center, Student Health Services, Student Success Coaching, and many more. Each floor gets a separate AR map, Pagliarulo McCarron said. After they map SUB I, Pagliarulo McCarron said they will start work on Fenwick Library and then the Johnson Center.

The app is funded by grants from George Mason’s Office of the Provost and 4-VA@Mason, which receives funding from the state to build collaborations across institutions as well as create new technologies that promote first-generation student transfer pathways to higher education.

Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron. Photo provided.

Representatives from the First-Gen+ Center and undergrad, graduate, and PhD students are researching the common challenges transfer students face, including the need to find community, to incorporate those aspects into the app.

“Kelly and I talked a lot about possible tangible resources that would help create a stronger connection to George Mason for our students,” said Janette Muir, vice provost for academic affairs.

The team conducting the technology and digital humanities-based research includes many who are first in their family to go to college.

“Throughout this process, we learned that students felt disconnected and disoriented when they didn’t know how the campus was laid out,” said Muir, who is also director of the 4-VA@Mason program. “With the work that this team is doing, we could decrease that anxiety and help students access the services that are available to them.”

ADVANCE students currently attending NOVA are testing the app and providing feedback to the team.

In addition to student testers, ADVANCE has provided the team with aggregate data of qualitative and quantitative feedback received directly from students through an Ask an ADVANCE Student Ambassador forum on the program’s Canvas course. This information helps the program identify what students are most focused on throughout through transfer journey and time in ADVANCE.

“My hope with providing that additional data is to help narrow down what should be covered in the tours and what could be helpful to incorporate into the app,” said Jason Dodge, the executive director of community college partnerships at George Mason.

Mariya Khan. Photo provided.

“The AR campus tour and ADVANCE both highlight that transfer is not the responsibility of a single office, but that it takes a collective of folks across the university in order to pull something like that off,” said Dodge.

Schrum said several students from the graduate course HE 703 Higher Education in the Digital Age are working on the project. Team instructional designer Mariya Khan gave an in-person interactive presentation on AR and gamification to the class.

“Kelly saw how the AR I used in my presentation could be infused into what she envisioned for this project,” said Khan, who works in the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning.

“I’m a first-generation American, so I understand why projects like this are important,” Khan added. “It would be super helpful to students who want to feel more engaged and like they’re part of something.”

Veronica Visser. Photo provided.

Veronica Visser, a master’s student in higher education and leadership, has been a part of the project since its inception.

“As a first-gen international student, sometimes it can feel like you just go to campus, go to your lecture, and then you go back home,” said Visser, who is from Paraguay. “But with resources like the AR app, you learn that there are people available to help you with your resume, to help you with time management, getting your Mason [ID] card, or other resources that will make you a better student and person.”

The team will conduct a second round of user testing on the app this summer.

“Although we are focusing on first-gen transfer students for now, the project has a lot of potential to expand to other underrepresented minorities, and we’re excited to explore that,” said Schrum.

Take a look at the app in action

Currently this augmented reality experience is only mapped for Student Union Building I. The Johnson Center and Fenwick Library are both on the list to receive a similar AR map.

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This nontraditional student puts the focus on others through her photography

Shayla Brown — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:15:51 +0000

This nontraditional student puts the focus on others through her photography Shayla Brown Mon, 05/15/2023 - 13:15

Sisc Johnson in front of some of her photography. Photo by Cristian Torres.

Sisc Johnson, a ��AV School of Art student and staff member, will be the first in her family to graduate from college this May.

“My parents never graduated high school,” said Johnson. “[My siblings and I] were in and out of foster homes, and we were always raised to believe that college wasn't an option for us. It wasn’t until I started working at Mason, that I discovered I actually could go to college.”

Johnson, who started at Mason as the business manager of Student Centers in 2008, began taking nondegree classes. Her determination to earn a degree, coupled with her discovery of Mason’s employee tuition benefit, led her to enroll in the BFA in photography with Art and Visual Technology (AVT) program in 2018.

“I originally went into the interdisciplinary studies degree program and one of my first classes was a photography class, with Sue Wrbican. She was amazing and it completely changed my trajectory,” Johnson said.

Johnson was very active in the Writing for Artists course during the pandemic, said course instructor Heather Green.

“Sissy was great because when we were all doing class from our houses, it could be a little bit demoralizing, but she would always bring her unique perspective, her insights and humor, and kick off the conversation,” said Green, an assistant professor in Mason’s School of Art.

Although her parents never finished high school, Johnson understood the value of a degree and encouraged her two daughters to go to college, and both earned degrees—at Lewis and Clark College and University of Virginia—as their mother pursued hers part-time while working full-time.

“We’re so lucky to have Sisc, one of our most dynamic students, bringing her business experience and art knowledge to her new position in School of Art,” Green said.

Johnson, who also teaches photography at Stepping Stones, a treatment program for court-involved boys, age 14 to 18, often incorporates social justice into her artwork.

“Every year I take cameras over there and teach art as a way of expressing what's going on and expose them to Mason. Hopefully they [will see that they] can go to college too."

Her projects on the prison systems and prison reform are inspired by loved ones who are in and out of incarceration, said Johnson, similar to how her projects on women’s rights tie back to her personal experience of being a woman who grew up in the foster care system of rural Tennessee and dealing with many gender inequalities.

Johnson, who now works for the School of Art as the business and operations manager, has several projects featured on her personal portfolio website.

“I don't like talking about my experiences very much, so I focus on others,” she explained. “One of my last projects ‘Lost in America’ was about undocumented members of our community and the abuses that they suffer.

“I've been at 7-Eleven photographing them, and somebody will drive up in a truck that says ‘Build the wall’ on the bumper. Those things really enrage me.”

Bobby Yi, assistant director at the School of Art and the interim director for painting and drawing, has been Johnsons’ academic adviser throughout her career.

“Sissy is pretty freaking amazing,” Yi said. “That challenge of having to juggle so much is humongous, and it speaks volumes about her personality and what she's willing to give for her family and for other students.”

“There's been so many times that my peers at Mason all show up for me when I need them, and they all motivate me,” said Johnson.

“One thing about Mason is that everybody has an opportunity to make their dreams come true here, and Sissy is the embodiment of that,” Yi said. “She deserves all the accolades that she could get.”

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Heather Streckfus-Green

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Birds of a Feather: Alum’s detective work can improve flight safety

Colleen Rich — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 18:37:21 +0000

Birds of a Feather: Alum’s detective work can improve flight safety Colleen Rich Wed, 01/11/2023 - 13:37

The pilot reported that his plane had hit something in the air big enough to knock a hole in the side of the wing. But when Carla Dove, MS Biology ’94, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy ’98, received the strike sample's DNA results from the lab, she was stumped. “It kept coming back as whitetail deer…we sent it three times.”

Carla Dove in her lab. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

The case of the deer in the sky was just one of the 10,000 bird strike cases Dove’s team investigates every year in the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. As program manager, the ��AV alum identifies the specific birds involved in collisions, with samples coming to her from various branches of the U.S. military, commercial airlines, and more.

It's work that can save lives and improve flight safety. Once the species is identified, airfield biologists work to mitigate the habitat to keep those birds from being attracted to the airfield, while engineers use the data to design safer aircraft and build models to increase awareness of this aviation hazard.

Dove has done this work for decades, going back to when she was pursuing her master’s and PhD at Mason. Mason’s flexibility, she said, was ideal. “The courses being offered at night allowed me to work during the day.”

She also credits the mentorship she received from the late Mason professor emeritus Carl Ernst. “He was extremely helpful, patient, and encouraging because he knew I was a first-generation college student and that I needed a little bit of extra help.”

Carla Dove examines a specimen. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

Dove’s experience is typical of Mason’s ethos of welcoming and supporting every kind of student, with 40% of current students identifying as first-generation.

Because of Dove’s work with government and military entities, Ernst advised her to look at a policy PhD. Dove says her PhD helped her advance professionally. “It helps open doors; it helps write grants. It was something that I needed for my job here.”

And her job is a busy one. In addition to the aviation industry, Dove works on everything from crime scene investigations (think evidence from a down jacket or a pillow) to identifying the feathers used on anthropological artifacts like arrow heads, spear tips, and headdresses.

As for that collision supposedly caused by a deer at 1,500 feet? Dove took another look and found a tiny feather remnant. When she observed it under the microscope, it all clicked into place.

“It turned out to be a black vulture,” she said. The bird was likely feeding on a deer just before it soared into the sky and collided with the plane. “That for me was a case of ‘mind over molecules’…you always have to have an open mind [and] think about it in the broad sense—how does all this fit?”

It all comes down to being able to think differently—just one of the ways Dove and her alma mater are birds of a feather.

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Alumni

College of Science

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

Graduate’s Mason experience was value-added

Colleen Rich — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:40:36 +0000

Graduate’s Mason experience was value-added Colleen Rich Fri, 12/09/2022 - 15:40

For Juan Escalera, marketing and economics are very similar in that both look at human behavior. From studying economics, Escalera said he has learned the importance of value. From studying marketing, he said he learned the value of communication.

Juan Escalera. Photo provided

A double major and member of the Honors College, Escalera came to Mason as an alumnus of the university’s Early Identification Program. That program, he said, pushed him in high school to take Advanced Placement courses that helped prepare him for a college workload. He is also a first-generation student.

“Definitely a sense of accomplishment that will probably hit once I’ve graduated,” Escalera said. “But right now, it’s just a relief that I’ve come this far. It makes me look forward to what other challenges will come up and what I can accomplish.”

Where are you from?
I am Bolivian, but have lived in Arlington, Virginia, most of my life.

What is your best memory of Mason?
My best memory of Mason is when my Honors College Learning Community floor threw a Halloween party where we all dressed up. It was an experience that was needed after we all spent that week taking exams.

How have you grown while at Mason?
One way I have grown while at Mason is by developing and further implementing a professional mindset when decision-making. I have refined work ethics that best work for me to reach my goals for the day.

What is your best advice for incoming students?
My best advice is to explore when it comes to their education. To get an accurate understanding of our world, an individual needs to understand multiple perspectives, which our education provides.

What’s next for you?
My next step is to figure out some travel plans before I really get going starting my career.

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Students

Graduation

Early Identification Program (EIP)

Honors College

first-generation

Costello College of Business News

Costello College of Business Students

Costello College of Business

Blazing a Trail

Colleen Rich — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:25:51 +0000

Blazing a Trail Colleen Rich Tue, 11/01/2022 - 11:25

Mason Nation would not be what it is without our first-generation students. Nearly 40 percent of ��AV students identify as being the first in their families to attain a college degree. Of those, 33 percent are eligible for need-based Pell Grants, which is greater than Virginia’s average.

In Mason’s Class of 2022, 27 percent of the graduates identified as first generation.

President Gregory Washington, himself a first-generation college graduate, talked about first-gen students during his Investiture address in October 2021.

“We've always prided ourselves on putting students first, and they have truly shown us what they are made of,” Washington told the audience in EagleBank Arena. “Most of our students hail from historically disenfranchised communities—three out of 10 are first generation. They have a vision for a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities, and they are not strangers to adversity, occasional rejection, and hard work.”

Mason’s definition of a first-generation college student includes someone whose parent or legal guardian(s) did not receive or complete post-secondary education, or who received a two-year degree, or earned any level of postsecondary education outside the United States.

“Sometimes we have Mason students come up to us who realize that they are also first-generation college students because of how we define it,” says Amber Holton-Thomas, director of the First-Gen+ Center. “Just because, for example, someone’s parents got an advanced degree outside the [United States] doesn’t mean they understand or have experience with navigating the U.S. college system, so we are here to help.”

Housed in Student Union Building I on the Fairfax Campus, first-generation students are able to seek advice and insight at the First-Gen+ Center. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

In 2021, the national Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the Suder Foundation, named Mason to its 2021–22 First-Gen Forward cohort. The designation recognizes institutions of higher education who have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for first-generation college students. Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building experiences, and a first look at the center’s research and resources.

Putting Resources in Place

First-generation college students face various barriers when trying to excel both academically and socially. Mason works to eliminate these additional barriers and foster first-generation student success through intentional programming and catered support. This support includes:

Early Identification Program: Mason’s college preparatory program collaborates with local public school systems to provide access to educational resources for middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend a college or university. The program boasts more than 1,600 graduates and has 600 students currently enrolled at Mason.
Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP): This initiative, which is part of the First-Gen+ Center, was created in 1990 to enhance the recruitment, engagement, and retention of first-generation college students accepted to Mason.
First-Gen+ Center: This year-old center in Mason’s University Life division provides resources, mentoring, and programming for first-generation students.
First-Generation Peer Mentoring Program: The First-Gen+ Center's mentoring program supports first-generation student success.
First-Generation Student Task Force: This task force is led by Mason faculty and staff who were first-generation students themselves.

Additionally, the student organization F1rst Gen @ Mason boasts more than 200 members and aims to provide opportunities for first-gen students to make connections with others to help them overcome the obstacles they face and make the most of their college experiences. In the spring semester, this group hosted its seventh I Am First Stories night, an event where first-gen students, alumni, and faculty and staff share their success stories.

Sharing Their Stories

Arturo Barrera

Arturo Barrera, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’21, was among those sharing their stories at the I Am First event. Barrera is the first in his family to attend college in the United States, but he acknowledges that he didn’t get there alone. He credits his parents for their perseverance in a new country after emigrating from Bolivia. He also says Mason began supporting him long before he was a freshman.

“The Early Identification Program gave me resources and a different way of seeing the idea of college,” says Barrera, who joined the preparatory program in seventh grade. “I wanted to give back what they gave to me.”

Since coming to Mason, Barrera says he is most proud of helping first-generation students attend college and achieve their dreams. He has served as a college readiness instructor and academic success coach for EIP.

“It was a little intimidating [mentoring high schoolers], but it developed me as a leader in that I gained a lot of confidence,” says Barrera, who is currently working on an accelerated master of public administration degree. “I also was a peer advisor for a University 101 class—if it wasn’t for EIP, I would’ve never considered that.”

Hazel Cartagena

Sophomore Hazel Cartagena also used EIP’s resources. After coming to the United States from El Salvador to join her mother late in 2010, Cartagena enrolled in EIP. She was an academic star at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, and earned a spot in Mason’s University Scholars Program, which offers academically outstanding incoming freshman a four-year, full tuition scholarship.

A member of Mason’s Honors College, Cartagena says she has a good start thanks to EIP, which introduced her to mentors and faculty members she believes will be part of her network even after she graduates.

Just as important, though, were introductions to other first-generation students and students of different backgrounds who would join her at what is already the most diverse public research university in Virginia. She calls it a “built-in community.”

“I remember seeing a lot of people from different places, different countries, and, at least for me, that helps me,” says Cartagena, who is majoring in accounting. “It encourages me. All these people from all these places are trying to do their best and put in that effort to have something better for themselves. For me, it is really inspiring.”

In fall 2021, in celebration of National First-Generation College Celebration, we asked the Mason Nation on social media to share their first-generation stories. Many students talked about the importance of the Mason centers and resources in helping them feel like part of the community.

Mason alum Kareema Smith, BA Psychology ’15, MS Educational Psychology ’16, credits the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP) for having a huge impact on her academic life. She says she heard about the program at an admitted-student event before she started at Mason.

“Thanks to STEP I was able to enter college with other first-generation students the summer before our first year began where we learned so much and established true community,” says Smith. “At 18 years old, that program gave me the tools and confidence to become a leader on campus, to truly care more about the humanity of others, and to think critically while challenging myself and my ideals.”

And Smith continues to pay it forward. From 2016 to 2019, Smith was the director of student success at Mason’s Honors College. She is now a career counselor at Auburn University, where she is pursuing a PhD in counseling psychology.

For alum Bianca Alba, BS Community Health ’11, MPH ’15, EIP was a portal of opportunity.

“Also, getting involved with my Latina sorority, Chi Upsilon Sigma, opened up network opportunities and provided me with women role models who had their life and careers set,” says Alba, who now works as a public health analyst.

Graduate student Isidore Nsengiyumva, who is attending Mason online from Kenya, says the National First-Generation College Celebration serves as a great personal reminder of everyone who has supported and sacrificed for him to get where he is today.

Nsengiyumva spent part of his childhood living in refugee camps after fleeing his native Burundi during the civil war there. He is now a Charles E. Scheidt Fellow at Mason’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“It is also a good time for reflection on how far I have come and what it took for me to get here,” Nsengiyumva says.

Words of Advice

We asked our first-gen students and alumni to share advice they could pass on to other first-gens.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself! It is okay to fail, but just because you fail a class doesn’t make you a failure. I had to learn the hard way. Surround yourself with like-minded people, and remember self-care is also important.” —Bianca Alba, BS Community Health ‘11, MPH ‘15

“Don’t forget where you come from, be humble, and don’t forget to thank those who helped you attend college. You can thank them by making sure you graduate and being the positive change that we need in our society. Lastly, don’t forget to make lifelong friends. Together, we can make our network stronger.” —Thomas Oh, BS Criminology, Law and Society ‘13, MBA ‘19

“Some of our professors were first-generation students themselves and understand what we’re going through. Support your fellow students, and they will support you back in their own ways. This support that you receive from others will give you a strong sense of motivation and inspiration to work hard academically and professionally” —Kenny Rakwong, BS Information Systems and Operations Management ‘22

“Don’t ever ignore your mistakes; learn from them. We know what it’s like to feel scared and overwhelmed because we’re first-gen, we’re all in this together.” —Electrical Engineering major John Sejas-Cordova, class of 2024

“Be awesome, follow your dreams, and don’t feel the pressure of overachieving. The mere fact that you’re enrolled in a university working toward a better future is more than enough. Be proud, work hard, and be thankful for everything, and don’t waste the opportunity to prepare for a better future.” —Lisa Castro, BS Management ’09, MA International Commerce and Policy ’17

“Never be afraid to ask for help! There are so many resources on campus and beyond to help you succeed during this time. There will definitely be some things about college that you won’t know about that others will—this isn’t something to be ashamed of. It is an opportunity to learn.” —Physics PhD student Phoebe McClincy

Mariam Aburdeineh, Damian Cristodero, and Anna Stolley Persky contributed to this feature.

This article originally appeared in the Summer/Fall 2022 Mason Spirit.

"They have a vision for a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities, and they are not strangers to adversity, occasional rejection, and hard work.”

—President Gregory Washington

Check out the First-Gen+ Center

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Mason Spirit

First Gen + Center

Early Identification Program (EIP)

first-generation

Spirit Fall 22

Doctoral student works to fill an important need in the Latinx community

Colleen Rich — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:47:10 +0000

Doctoral student works to fill an important need in the Latinx community Colleen Rich Wed, 10/12/2022 - 13:47

Photo by DeRon Rockingham

The prospect of immigrating to the United States from Honduras in 2007, although exciting, was not an easy decision for ��AV doctoral student Rafael Esaú Hernández Dubon and his family, as it meant parting ways with the people, the culture, and an entire way of life. The move was necessary, however, because a life in the United States meant better opportunities.

Hernández Dubon knows what it’s like to be a first-generation immigrant, to start over in an unknown place with a different language and way of life. He knows the dichotomy of a proud cultural and ethnic heritage that can be at odds with learning to operate in a multicultural society as a minority.

There are a growing number of Latinx immigrant communities across the country whose members need economical and psychological refuge as well as relief. It is this psychological need that motivates Hernández Dubon, spurring research ideas and personal connections to ensure members of his community and their needs are not left in the shadows.

“Now I understand the language, but I remember not understanding what was going on and not having access to care and other services because of language barriers,” Hernández Dubon said. “Having lived through no way of communicating that I needed assistance and am now in position that I can help in some way… that makes a huge impact in my world.”

Thanks to his opportunities as a Mason PhD student in clinical psychology and shared experiences within the immigrant communities, Hernández Dubon knows he can serve as a bridge between mental health care and the Latinx communities in Northern Virginia. In fact, each time he provides psychotherapy to an immigrant or non-English speaker, he is humbled and strives to provide a gateway to success.

“As a first-generation immigrant, I’ve lived in both worlds,” Hernández Dubon said. “Growing up in Honduras, I saw how addictions can ruin people’s lives and entire communities. In coming to the U.S., I see how it is difficult for most people to establish mental healthcare services, and it can be even more difficult for an immigrant to do so due to language barriers

Hernández Dubon thrives in his work as a bilingual student clinician. Not many providers can counsel in Spanish, which can create barriers to patients receiving the assistance they need, he said, resulting in frustration, misinterpretations, misdiagnoses, and poor care. Being able to culturally connect with patients opens doors of trust and strengthens therapeutic allegiance between the patient and the provider, he said.

“It’s a moving for me to see a person express how they are feeling without trying to make up words,” he said.

Hernández Dubon came to Mason after earning a dual BS from Virginia Commonwealth University in psychology with a concentration in addiction studies, and philosophy with a concentration in philosophy and science.

Wanting to respond to the need for more bilingual psychotherapists, contribute to improved research diversity, and remain close to his family, he looked for clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in Virginia and found one in Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The impact of the program’s applied research piqued his interest. Even though he did not know how he would pay for the program, Hernández Dubon applied anyway.

A few weeks later he learned that he qualified for a Mason Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship, which is reserved for first-generation, incoming fall semester doctoral degree students who are from an underrepresented population within their doctoral field of study at Mason, and who have demonstrated financial need.

“Getting funding was essential for me. If not for the scholarship, I would not have opportunity to be at Mason,” he said. “Having the GIA Scholarship [enables] me to have the time to research questions, work with the community and make the most of my time.”

Laurence Bray, vice provost of graduate education, knows how important the GIA Scholarships are to recipients and their growth as scholars.

“Building and growing the GIA program has been a priority for my office. It has been a privilege to observe each scholar grow and mature through their doctoral journey,” she said. “Rafael has been a role model for balancing his educational goals and personal life while meeting the additional challenges that come from being a first-generation doctoral student.”

Now in the third year of his PhD program, Hernández Dubon is starting to ponder how his research interests can be applied to the Latinx community as he focuses on improving access to mental health care and inclusion.

His primary mentor, Tara Chaplin, associate professor of psychology, has encouraged his research focus, knowing that any work conducted with the Latinx community will have a significant impact as the nation moves to a majority minority status.

“Rafael is passionate about increasing research and clinical services to Latinx families in the community,” Chaplin said. “[His] focus within the Latinx community is critically important. This community is historically under-served and under-studied and has unique strengths and challenges that deserve to be understood by researchers.”

Hernández Dubon’s GIA scholarship allows him the opportunity to tailor his experiences at Mason according to his research and academic interests. He volunteers at Casa Chirilagua, an faith-based nonprofit that primarily serves the Latinx community, so he can improve his first-hand knowledge about people’s experiences to inform his research and clinical directions.

He notes that while the Latinx community has been systematically overlooked in health care, medical studies, and interventions, the people make up for it with resilience. It is that resilience that motivates Hernández Dubon, and he is carving out his own path to ensure his community has a champion.

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Mason was the university next door, now it’s this freshman’s home

Colleen Rich — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 18:52:55 +0000

Mason was the university next door, now it’s this freshman’s home Colleen Rich Thu, 09/15/2022 - 14:52

Meet the Class of 2026

Freshman Joshua Dias has long been a part of the Mason Nation
October 13, 2022
Mason was the university next door, now it’s this freshman’s home
September 15, 2022
Incoming Patriot leaps from high school to her sophomore year of college
August 31, 2022
Another chance to lead for Mason volleyball star
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Incoming freshman is determined to be heard
August 23, 2022

University Scholar Sophia Ramirez got to know Mason as a participant in the Early Identification Program. Photo by Ashlen Renner/Strategic Communications

Sophia Ramirez woke up on the first day of March at 6 a.m. and quickly checked her email. She knew the selections for the ��AV Scholars program had gone out at midnight. Before she could start her day, she needed to know if she had made the cut.

“I didn’t think I got it at first, but then I kept reading and realized I got in,” Ramirez said. “I was going to Mason.”

A 2022 graduate of Manassas Park High School, Ramirez grew up with Mason practically in her backyard. Going to Mason was always a distant goal, but now it was a reality with her inclusion in Mason’s Honors College and as a University Scholar, which means her tuition is paid for.

“There was a lot of excitement,” Ramirez said. “I told my mom and she started crying. And then I waited to tell my teachers in person, and then they started crying.”

Ramirez lives with her parents who are immigrants—her father from El Salvador, and her mother from Honduras. News of her acceptance at Mason traveled far and fast.

“My mom told all her family back home,” said Ramirez. “Any child of an immigrant family knows what I’m talking about. Anything that’s worth celebrating, they tell everyone.”

Ramirez was a part of Mason’s Early Identification Program, which provides access to educational resources for middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend a college or university. So when Ramirez first stepped on campus for her first day of classes, she did so with confidence. Mason was a familiar place.

Now Ramirez is a history major with a special interest in U.S. history.

“I was always really good at history and I always found it interesting,” she said. “A lot of people, like my friends, will say history is really boring, but I was always the opposite. You can really see the history tie into today, especially in modern politics.”

Eva Bramesco, associate director of Honors College admissions and director of the University Scholars Program, said Ramirez stands out in the program because of her “ability to convey history narratively” and her passion for “interpreting painful history and ensuring uncomfortable history isn’t written over for the comfort of modern audiences.”

That sensibility coincides with the broader goals of the Honors College and of Mason, which believes in examining full truths no matter how complicated.

“The Honors College emphasizes the value of considering questions and issues from multiple perspectives,” said Richard Stafford, the Honors College’s director of communications. “And it helps students like Sophia learn to collaborate with others who have very different backgrounds, experiences, and training from their own.”

When she isn’t studying, Ramirez works at a community center in Manassas Park and enjoys lifting weights at the gym. She also loves to read, her favorite book being “The Secret History,” a novel by Donna Tartt.

Ramirez said she hopes to eventually attend law school or work in a government agency.

“I feel like I really lucked out with Mason,” she said. “I’m grateful for all the opportunities it has given me.”

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Mason’s STEP program helps first-generation students get ready for the college experience

Colleen Rich — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:23:14 +0000

Mason’s STEP program helps first-generation students get ready for the college experience Colleen Rich Tue, 08/16/2022 - 11:23

Meet the Class of 2026

Freshman Joshua Dias has long been a part of the Mason Nation
October 13, 2022
Mason was the university next door, now it’s this freshman’s home
September 15, 2022
Incoming Patriot leaps from high school to her sophomore year of college
August 31, 2022
Another chance to lead for Mason volleyball star
August 30, 2022
Incoming freshman is determined to be heard
August 23, 2022

From left, Mason incoming freshmen Jacie Hernandez, Linh Vu, and Neyda Gonzalez spent six weeks on campus this summer as a part of the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP). Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Linh Vu, a recent graduate of Lake Braddock High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, spent six weeks this summer living on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus preparing for her first year of college.

Vu, who plans to study nursing, attended Mason’s Student Transition Empowerment Program’s (STEP) Summer, a residential program for incoming Mason first-year students who are also first-generation. Participants, who are selected through an application process, live on campus and participate in a variety of workshops and activities aimed at helping them navigate college and build a support system. They also earn three college credits.

“I’m going to be a commuter student; I was worried about being part of the community. But now, because of being in this program, I already feel a part of it,” Vu said. “Through STEP, I got a chance to understand Mason better.”

STEP is an initiative of the First-Gen + Center created to enhance the recruitment, engagement and retention of first-generation college students. Its mission is to empower first-generation students through academic skill development, access to resources, community building and self-discovery. This year, the summer program had 37 student participants and 10 staff members, all of whom also were or are first-generation college students themselves. The program, free to participating students, is funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Kelsey Ruiz, a STEP Summer staff member, said that first-generation college students often struggle because they don’t have the advantage of parents who have experienced college and understand how it works. In addition, first-generation college students can come from lower-income circumstances.

“While they are at STEP Summer, the students are getting the best of the college experience. It is an opportunity not to worry about food or housing insecurity,” said Ruiz. “Students also go on activities together and have critical community dialogue sessions about identity and respecting themselves and each other.”

Neyda Gonzalez, who graduated from Justice High School in Fairfax County, said she’s grateful for the opportunity through STEP Summer to meet other students before the fall semester.

“I was worried I would feel alone, but now I’ve already started making friends and memories,” Gonzalez, who plans to study accounting. “STEP helped me understand and get to know other first-generation students who are different from myself. That’s important because Mason is such a diverse school, and now I feel like I will be able to connect with more people because I’ve already experienced the diversity in STEP.”

STEP evolved to its current format and structure from the initial Student Transition Program, started in 1990 to increase college access and retention for Virginia Black, Hispanic and Latino college students, according to Amber Holton-Thomas, director of the First-Gen+ Center.

“Students who participate in STEP have six weeks together, gain college credits, and build community,” said Holton-Thomas. “The most valuable aspect is that the program doesn't end after summer, but instead is a multi-year support initiative. STEP Scholars have support, programming and scholarships throughout their entire time at Mason."

Jacie Hernandez, who graduated from Liberty High School in Fauquier County, plans to study computer game design at Mason. Hernandez said STEP Summer helped with anticipating what the fall semester might be like.

“It was an honor to be part of the program,” Hernandez said. “I feel ready to start the next chapter of my life.”

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Mason’s First-Gen+ Center helps students navigate the university experience

Colleen Rich — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:05:14 +0000

Mason’s First-Gen+ Center helps students navigate the university experience Colleen Rich Wed, 07/20/2022 - 10:05

First-Gen+ Center Assistant Director Nakia Waters works with Mason student Dung Ngo. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

��AV prides itself on its diversity and the number of first-generation college students it attracts. To help first-generation college students navigate a large university, Mason’s University Life created the First-Gen+ Center in 2021 to provide resources, mentoring and programming.

The First-Gen+ Center’s mission is to support students who are historically underrepresented in higher education and their allies, while specifically focusing on students who identify as first-generation, who identify as undocumented, have refugee status, or belong to families with limited income.

In 2020, about 26% of Mason students described themselves as first-generation college students. About 7,500 currently enrolled Mason students are connected to the First-Gen Center.

“We take seriously our role in helping students who might not otherwise have the chance [to] pursue their higher education with success,” said Amber Holton-Thomas, director of the center. “The University Life vision is that ‘every student succeeds,’ and one big way our office helps is by demystifying the university process.”

Housed in Student Union Building I on the Fairfax Campus, The First-Gen+ Center can trace its roots to the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP), which began in 1990 as the Summer Transition Program. Back in person this summer for the first time since the pandemic, STEP was Mason’s first effort to help first-generation college students get acclimated to the college experience by providing academic preparation, career exploration, and empowerment activities the summer before beginning college. STEP joined University Life in 2005.

As Mason administrators determined how best to leverage the university resources, the First-Gen+ Center, which is, was created in 2021.

President Gregory Washington has emphasized the importance to Mason of its first-generation students.

“We've always prided ourselves on putting students first, and they have truly shown us what they are made of,” Washington told an audience in EagleBank Arena during his investiture address. “Most of our students hail from historically disenfranchised communities—three out of 10 are first-generation. They have a vision for a better life for themselves, their families and their communities, and they are not strangers to adversity, occasional rejection, and hard work.”

In addition to organizing STEP, the First-Gen+ Center, which is housed in Student Union Building I on the Fairfax Campus, facilitates scholarships, offers one-on-one discussion sessions, oversees a mentoring program, creates programming for First-Gen Week, coordinates training related to undocumented students, hosts community building events and sends out a weekly newsletter to students on the mailing list.

The center has both professional and student staff; the latter work in the office or volunteer as mentors and tend to be first-generation college students themselves, intent on giving back, said Holton-Thomas.

Oliver Yu, a first-generation college student and Mason junior majoring in computational and data sciences, agreed.

“The students that work within the First-Gen+ Center are passionate in their roles and look for ways to best utilize them to help others,” said Yu, who worked for the center as a research assistant.

Mason’s definition of a first-generation college student includes someone whose parent or legal guardian(s) did not receive or complete post-secondary education, or who received a two-year degree or earned any level of post-secondary school outside the United States.

“Sometimes we have Mason students come up to us and realize that they are also first-generation college students because of how we define it,” Holton-Thomas said. “Just because, for example, someone’s parents got an advanced degree outside the U.S. doesn’t mean they understand or have experience with navigating the U.S. college system, so we are here to help.”

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