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Transforming Access to Justice: Students Tackle Language Barriers at Fairfax Courthouse

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 15:17:21 +0000

Transforming Access to Justice: Students Tackle Language Barriers at Fairfax Courthouse Andrew J Schappert Tue, 10/22/2024 - 11:17

From left, Schar School Jurisprudence Learning Community students Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zubaidi and Sharanya Maddukuri, a government and international politics major and Honors College student, flank General District Court Judge Dipti Pidikiti-Smith in her courtroom. Photo provided

Going to a court of law as plaintiff, defendant, witness, juror, or a spectator in the gallery can be stressful and confusing if you don’t know where to go. What floor is the right office on? Which clerk at which window do you need to visit? Which courtroom do you need to be in and when do you need to be there? And which way to the bathroom?

Mohammed Al Zubaidi presents the Court Signage Survey Project to an attorney who advocates at the Fairfax General District Court. Photo provided

The Fairfax General District Court conducts its business at the Fairfax County Courthouse, not far from ��AV’s Fairfax Campus near the City of Fairfax. It shares the facility with the Fairfax Circuit Court, the largest trial court in Virginia. Understandably, the hallways of the campus can be confounding even to those who frequent the complex, much less those who have business there only occasionally.

Now imagine you need to visit the General District Court but do not speak English as your native language. All the signage is in English. You can see there might be a problem.

Members of a team of 15 volunteer students from the Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC), one of five learning communities in the Schar School of Policy and Government, are spending time in the hallways and offices of the busy court complex conducting a survey project aimed at helping the court understand the accessibility needs of court users.

The students visit the courthouse in shifts each weekday for a month to administer surveys to those who use the court, including judges, attorneys, deputies, bailiffs, and visitors. When the survey period is over, the students will compile the results to gain an understanding of the steps the court should take to increase accessibility for individuals, particularly language and translation accessibility.

“The results of the Court Signage Survey Project will be sent to the District Court for review and ultimately compiled into a larger report that will go to the Virginia Supreme Court,” said Assistant Professor Shea Holman, director of the JPLC.

From left, Sathvika Kolluru, Sharanya Maddukuri, and Abigail Harmon wield survey clipboards in the courthouse hallway. Photo provided

General District Court Judge Dipti Pidikiti-Smith reached out to Holman for the project.

“She specifically wanted to connect with George Mason students,” Holman said. “We are such a diverse campus and the JPLC is a place where students from many different backgrounds have the opportunity to experience the legal field firsthand. This is an amazing experience for students to interact directly with individuals attempting to navigate our legal system and to spend time in a courthouse setting.”

For Schar School junior Mohammad Ibrahim Al Zubaidi, that’s exactly what has happened.

“The most memorable experience has been engaging with court users directly,” the government and international politics major said. “Listening to their stories about the communication barriers they face in such a crucial setting has been eye-opening. It reinforced the importance of the work we’re doing and the impact this project can have on improving access to justice for everyone.”

Al Zubaidi’s degree program includes a concentration in American Institutions and Processes and a minor in criminology, law, and society. His visits to the courthouse, he said, will help him gain hands-on experience in legal processes, particularly in improving access to justice for underrepresented communities.

“This project allows me to connect my academic knowledge of government and law with real-world applications," Al Zubaidi said. "Balancing classwork and off-campus duties has been a challenge, but it's also helped me develop strong time management and organizational skills. By staying organized and setting clear priorities, I’ve been able to manage both effectively."

Walking the hallways of the bustling courthouse is a new experience for some of the students.

“I haven't spent much time in [a courthouse] up until this point, so it has been interesting to see the innerworkings,” said Abigail Harmon, an integrative studies major with a legal concentration. “I also feel that making the courtroom more accessible to all kinds of people is a really important cause, and I am proud to be helping out with that. I hope that the information collected in the surveys can help with this.”

Among all the court users she’s met, it’s the interpreters who work there that have made a significant impression.

“They are passionate about helping people who don't speak English navigate and understand our legal system,” the Twin Falls, Idaho, native said. “One of the interpreters stressed how important it is to have interpreters, because if you don't speak English and don't utilize one, you might be unable to get the justice you deserve.

“I feel that this was relevant in our survey, because non-English speaking individuals might find it difficult to get around the courtroom, and the courthouse should find ways to fix that. I've had the opportunity to see a couple of the interpreters in action, and without them their clients may have had a different outcome and experience in their case.”

“This project allows me to submerse myself in the exact environment I am striving to be in postgraduation,” said government and international politics senior April Cornelius from Aliso Viejo, California. “The best experience I have had thus far has been surveying people on the third floor, which is the domestic cases. I had a mom with her two daughters fill out a survey, and was nice to connect with her older teenage daughter.

“Nobody likes to be bothered with a survey,” she added, “but it is nice to take someone’s brain off the reason why they are there—most times not for a good reason.”

In This Story

Shea M. Holman Kilian

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Schar School Freshman, Honors College Student Defers Admission for Life-Changing Year in Kyrgyzstan

Andrew J Schappert — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:35:25 +0000

Schar School Freshman, Honors College Student Defers Admission for Life-Changing Year in Kyrgyzstan Andrew J Schappert Fri, 10/11/2024 - 14:35

Anusha Chaluvadi could have come to ��AV a year earlier than she did, but the new freshman deferred admission to study Russian in the Kyrgyzstan Republic.

Anusha Chaluvadi in Fairytale Canyon, Kyrgyzstan: ‘Having the U.S. education is good, of course, but it's dangerous to only have that perspective.’ Photo provided

Her participation in the nine-month National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, that sent her to the Central Asian country in her first year after high school “truly differentiated her as an applicant” to George Mason, said Eva Bramesco, director of the University Scholars program in the Honors College.

“Pursuing experiences like this in which students experience new and challenging ways of learning are perfect examples of the qualities we seek in University Scholars," Bramsco said.

As a University Scholar, Chaluvadi is among a small number of the most motivated incoming Honors College freshmen “selected through a competitive process to join a four-year cohort of student leaders, receive a full-tuition scholarship, and participate in enhanced academic and professional development programming,” Bramesco added.

Additionally, Chaluvadi is one of the first students to declare a four-year major in International Security and Law at the Schar School of Policy and Government. The one-of-a-kind bachelor of arts degree prepares graduates to become leaders in the face of crisis and to confront major threats affecting lives of millions around the globe every day.

Chaluvadi was well acquainted with George Mason. Her sister, 2021 biology alum Pratyusha, also a University Scholar, is now in her final year of medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Richmond, Virginia, native came to the school not only for the financial assistance but also for the proximity to Washington, D.C., where she hopes to land significant internships at key institutions.

As for deferring college to live and learn in Kyrgyzstan, Chaluvadi said she was inspired to learn Russian after being exposed to Russian literature.

“But when I read Russian literature, I don't think that I have a cultural context because I'm reading works in translation, so that loses a lot of the historical and cultural context that it would have if I read it in Russian,” she said. “And also, Russian-American relations are very complicated, and I think it's really dangerous to go into a government field or international field when you don't have both perspectives. So, I figured having the U.S. education is good, of course, but it's dangerous to only have that perspective.”

While learning the Russian language and enjoying the literature, Chaluvadi’s study-abroad experience also exposed her to the people living in the mountainous nation. What she learned from them resonated deeply.

“I got more of a post-Soviet perspective living there,” she said. “Talking to people there was really interesting because I think in the U.S. we hear that the Soviet Union was bad for everyone and no one liked it, which it has truth to it. But when you speak to the older generation in KYrgyzstan, a lot of them actually say that they preferred life in the Soviet Union, which is an opinion I would've probably never gotten if I didn't live there.”

A college year deferred? Clearly it was life-changing.

“It was the greatest experience of my life,” she said. “I miss it so much every day.”

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Civil engineering student builds a solid foundation with summer internship

Shayla Brown — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:29:57 +0000

Civil engineering student builds a solid foundation with summer internship Shayla Brown Mon, 10/07/2024 - 10:29

More than 250 people are working on the construction of the Fuse at Mason Square building, including ��AV senior Leslie Hernandez.

“It’s my way of giving back to my school and community,” said Hernandez, who is majoring in civil and infrastructure engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC).

Hernandez has had four internships with Clark Construction since her senior year of high school and has previously worked on projects such as the Amazon headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

“The Amazon headquarters project was really special to me because it was the first project that I got to see full circle from when it was just a pile of concrete up to the final product,” said Hernandez.

At Fuse, Hernandez is focused on field operations. “I’m like the middleman between the architect and the general contractor, working with inspectors, owners, and trade partners,” the Honors College student said.

For Hernandez, the highlight of the summer was working and bonding with her colleagues. “The labor force on a construction site is composed of a good percentage of Hispanic or Latino individuals, and I identify as both of those. Because of this, I was able to create meaningful bonds with individuals as we engaged in day-to-day conversations about the work we do,” she said.

Hernandez says engineering professor Catalina González-Dueñas is also a huge source of inspiration. She shared her background with the CEC professor during office hours, where they bonded over their respective experiences.

“I feel like I'm able to see myself in her,” said Hernandez, first generation college student originally from El Salvador. “She’s a representation of what’s possible for me. She told me that one of the reasons why she does what she does is to be that representation for Hispanic and Latina women.

This admiration is a two-way street, said González-Dueñas. “I aim for my students to learn and feel inspired, but I am often inspired by and learning from their questions and perspectives as well,” she said.

“What stands out the most about Leslie is that she always relates the concepts taught in class to her own internship experience,” said González-Dueñas. “This not only allows her to put concepts into action, but also helps her classmates by providing real-world examples that illustrate abstract ideas.”

Leslie Hernandez at her Clark Construction Internship outside the Fuse at Mason Square building. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

Alongside her internship position, Hernandez has also been working part-time for Clark Construction for the past two years. During the summer, the internship and part-time position responsibilities merge.

“They offered me the position, which is great because it allows me to gain experience in my field while I’m going to school. They’ve been very flexible with my class schedule as well,” said Hernandez.

“When I first started working at Clark Construction, everyone would encourage me even though they didn’t even really know me yet,” said Hernandez. “I’m so glad to have this background and experience in the construction industry because I do see myself in this industry later on.”

Hernandez says the only thing she’s more dedicated to than construction is family. “I have two little sisters and a little brother and I'm trying to not only set a good example but open doors for them so they see that anything is possible,” she said.

“I feel such a sense of pride because I’m leaving a little piece of myself in every project. Once the Fuse building is done, I'm forever going to be part of that project and my school.”

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George Mason’s Student Body President and Vice President are strengthening campus community

Sarah Holland — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:27:17 +0000

George Mason’s Student Body President and Vice President are strengthening campus community Sarah Holland Wed, 09/25/2024 - 13:27

When Student Body President Maria Alejandra Romero Cuesta and Vice President Colin McAulay were looking at universities, ��AV’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and Schar School of Policy and Government’s strong reputation made it a top choice for them both.

Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding

And for both of them, joining Student Government just made sense: Cuesta, an international student, plans for nonprofit work in support of her home country of Colombia, and McAulay dreams of a future in diplomacy.

Now, the two of them are leading with a vision of an empowered and interconnected campus community.

Cuesta, a double major in Government and International Politics and economics and in the Honors College, was inspired by her peers to run for president. “As an active member of the Hispanic Leadership Alliance, Honors College Connects, and the First-Gen+ Center, I got to know what was happening on campus, what students needed, and that understanding inspired me to pursue a pathway of helping other students,” she said. Her connections also gave her a wide platform from which she could launch her political career.

For McAulay, a senior international security and law major, three years in Student Government gave him a strong understanding of the university, its structure, and how to best organize people to accomplish a shared vision. When election season came around, Cuesta and McAulay thought their combination of connections and institutional knowledge made a winning ticket.

Cuesta and McAulay worked hard over the summer to start constructing the groundwork for their term. One word stands at the core of their vision: community.

“We want to build bridges between the diverse organizations at George Mason,” Cuesta said. “We want to set that foundation, not only to create community but to then sustain community so it continues for generations to come.”

Cuesta wants to see a campus where groups are less siloed. “We have so many student groups for a wide range of identities, and we see a trend of students just sticking with their groups. And while we want students to have those spaces, we also want the groups to connect with each other more, to work together to achieve their shared goals and to continue to develop an interconnected and supportive campus community.”

“When I first came to George Mason,” McAulay added, “it was right out of COVID-19, and the community wasn’t able to thrive. But with each year, we’re restoring that sense of community, and it’s important to keep it growing for each new class that comes in."

President Cuesta and Vice President McAulay hit the ground running, starting the semester off with events to bring the campus community together such as tailgating a recent women’s soccer game. Both hope that their lasting mark on the university will be one of community.

“There are many resources here, so many opportunities to socialize, make friends, network, find your community, and build your career,” Cuesta said. “I hope George Mason continues to be a place where students can be authentically themselves and feel like they belong.”

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Bioengineering student went from Patriot to Pilgrim for summer internship

Shayla Brown — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 15:51:00 +0000

Bioengineering student went from Patriot to Pilgrim for summer internship  Shayla Brown Fri, 09/06/2024 - 11:51

��AV bioengineering student Berk Kasimcan spent his summer internship working on a proof of concept for what could be described as sunglasses for buildings. 

Kasimcan is working alongside Harvard University psychology students and second-year PhD engineering and computing student Raphael Kay as they attempt to alleviate the damage that buildings experience throughout the years from radiation, heat, cold, and light. 

“What if we create this glass system that has various liquids inside and is able to adjust the building temperature or the [impact of] the direct UV light?” Kasimcan said. “This research would be especially helpful for newer buildings that are made of mostly glass.” 

Berk Kasimcan. Photo provided.

Kasimcan’s internship took place in two lab locations on Harvard’s campus —the Aizenberg Biomineralization and Biomimetics Lab in the Science and Engineer Complex and the Center for Nanoscale Systems. The research being conducted is fairly new and led by Kay, who is also one of Kasimcan’s mentors.

“The environments are super-fast paced and each university has their own culture when doing research, so I get to learn a lot of different ways to conduct important research,” said Kasimcan.   

The Aizenberg lab is similar to the MIX here at George Mason, but with more of a focus on engineering. The Center for Nanoscale Systems is where students work on decomposition and microscopic materials too small to be seen unaided by the human eye and requires researchers to wear full-body clean room suits, Kasimcan explained. 

The team built a total of four setups this summer to measure how much light and heat is getting deflected, and how much heat transfer is present. 

 “Our goal for this summer is to build test benches. Once we perfect our devices and formulas, we will actually be able to use the test benches to get reliable results on light and heat detection,” said Kasimcan, who is enrolled in George Mason’s accelerated master’s bioengineering program.    

Berk Kasimcan at Harvard University Campus. Photo provided.

Kasimcan, who is in the Honors College, credits the mentorship he received at George Mason from associate professor of bioengineering Shani Ross and assistant professor of bioengineering Quentin Sanders, as well as his senior design project experience, for helping to prepare him for this internship. 

Working with Sanders in his Intelligent assistive technology, Neuromuscular control and Physiology, Wearables and Rehabilitation Robotics (ImPoWeR) lab for a year was great experience, Kasimcan said. “I worked on research addressing rehabilitation, robotics, and developed exoskeletons and prosthetic devices for individuals that have experienced a neurological injury or amputation.”

The feeling was mutual, according to Sanders. “It was a pleasure working with Berk. With his work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and general interest in the biomedical sciences, I can see him working at a top tier company within the health care industry,” said Sanders.  

“I’m sure he’ll do great wherever he ends up. I wouldn't be surprised at all if I looked up one day and Berk was the leading scientist in the research and development division of a huge company,” he added.  

Kasimcan, along with his peers, spent a year working on hydrogel research with the goal of creating a water filtration system in the event of an emergency so communities can access clean water.    

“It’s not something we can use 24/7 unfortunately, but when it comes to emergencies, it was a pretty useful device,” said Kasimcan. 

For their efforts, Kasimcan and his teammates won multiple awards including two People’s Choice Awards for engineering from George Mason’s Bioengineering Department and 2nd Place in a Star-Tides Poster Competition.

Kasimcan graduated with a bachelor of science from George Mason in spring 2024 and is currently pursuing his master's in engineering.

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Early Identification Program, family support led Honors College freshman to engineering

Teresa Donnellan — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:39:47 +0000

Early Identification Program, family support led Honors College freshman to engineering Teresa Donnellan Tue, 08/20/2024 - 13:39

STEM has long been a field of interest for incoming ��AV freshman Dmitry Oleynik, in part due to his family background. His grandfather, an engineer from Russia, played a pivotal role in nurturing his interest in mathematics and engineering from a young age.

Dmitry Oleynik. Photo provided.

“My grandfather taught me, my mom, and most of my family… He would start off pretty early, especially with the multiplication tables. He would want me to nail those down,” Oleynik recalled. This early exposure to math, coupled with his success in high school math classes, has driven him to pursue engineering at George Mason.

Oleynik carried his grandfather’s zeal for early preparation into his participation in George Mason's Early Identification Program (EIP). Since the eighth grade, Oleynik has attended EIP events, developing a familiarity with the university. The program, designed to prepare students for the rigors of college, provided Oleynik with a head start in various subjects, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“[EIP] prepared me for college pretty well, and that was part of the reason why I chose Mason,” said Oleynik, who is a member of the Honors College.

Oleynik’s EIP experience was not only about academics but also about building confidence with George Mason. Having spent summers at the Fairfax Campus, he feels a sense of comfort and connection to the university, which was a factor in his decision to stay close to home for college. His familiarity with the university's layout and resources, such as the Mason Innovation Exchange (the MIX) makerspace in Horizon Hall, adds to his excitement about starting his undergraduate experience.

While Oleynik is currently undecided about his major, he has an initial inclination toward mechanical engineering and has registered for related classes. The versatile nature of the field appeals to him, he said, as it could lead to opportunities in various industries, from automotive to robotics. He has a pragmatic approach to education, aiming for a degree that offers both personal interest and professional flexibility.

“I feel like mechanics are needed everywhere, so that’s a good degree for me to get,” he said.

Oleynik’s journey at George Mason is just beginning, but his foundation in STEM, nurtured by his family and the EIP, has set him on a promising path. He is well equipped to make the most of his time when he starts this fall.

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Ian Candy’s First Year: Combining Politics, Neuroscience, and Forensics—to Help Others

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:00:36 +0000

Ian Candy’s First Year: Combining Politics, Neuroscience, and Forensics—to Help Others Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/14/2024 - 10:00

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Ian Candy’s interest in politics developed early, at age 10, when he found he enjoyed watching political news shows with his parents instead of cartoons.

“My parents love watching the news,” he said. “And oddly enough, I enjoyed it. I ended up becoming very invested with the political side of the news…. This love for democracy that was planted in me as a child has only grown. The roots of this seed have cemented, making the study of government and international politics dear to my heart.”

Ian Candy: ‘It is no secret that our democracy can light up a room in a second, but just as quickly cover it in shadows.’

As a first-year student at the Schar School of Policy and Government at ��AV, Candy will major in government and international politics at a Carnegie Research 1 institution that happens to be located just a few miles from Washington, D.C. Both of those were “huge check marks on my list” of potential schools, he said.

“It is no secret that our democracy can light up a room in a second, but just as quickly cover it in shadows,” he said. “No stranger to governmental legislation targeting my communities, I have and will continue to advocate for anyone facing those shadows.”

The South Dakota native will double major in neuroscience at George Mason’s College of Science, a program that prepares students for medical and health-related fields.

“I truly believe that the breadth of both fields lends themselves to a great deal of intersectionality not seen in many other double majors,” he said. “Neuroscience captivates me, but imperatively, I feel a duty to study this field.”

Candy said that “the people in my life that are closest to me have and continue to struggle with mental illness and brain function disorders. Researching the causes and solutions to ‘give back’ [to those in need] would be incredibly fulfilling.”

Candy is convinced that he can overcome what he calls “the ambiguous intersectionality between neuroscience and government” with a third interest of his: storytelling. In fact, the University Scholar and Honors College student will hone his storytelling skills as a member of George Mason’s forensics team, which placed second in the nation in 2024.

“What I found most remarkable about him was that he is very engaging and likeable,” said forensics director Dawn Lowry, who recruited Candy at the National Speech and Debate Association’s high school expo in Des Moines, Iowa. “He has a great energy and when he is into something, he wants to know everything about that subject.”

Meeting Lowry and other members of the team made Candy feel “welcomed and at home, just from the few conversations I had,” he said.

While a career path is still uncertain for the new college student, “I hope to achieve what 10-year-old me envisioned: to help other people.

“Whether that looks like a career defending others in the courtroom, providing psychiatric assistance to patients, drafting science and technology-based policy, or working on something that doesn’t even exist yet, helping others—while hearing and advocating for their stories—is my main goal.”

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Cybersecurity Honors College student ready to hit the ground running

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 17:59:19 +0000

Cybersecurity Honors College student ready to hit the ground running Nathan Kahl Mon, 08/12/2024 - 13:59

Jose Perez starts at ��AV this fall, majoring in Cyber Security Engineering and participating in the Honors College. But the Falls Church, Virginia native feels like he’s already a student, in a way.

“I’m familiar with so many of the faculty at this point because I participated in the Early Identification Program—I’ve been coming here for summer events since as early as 8th grade,” he said. “I’ve already formed a sense of community here. And as an International Baccalaureate student, I had college-level work for two years and so have decent academic preparation.”

He describes himself as a “STEM kid from the get-go,” and participated in cybersecurity-related extracurriculars in high school. “For me, it’s the best cross between raw engineering and computer science.” Being part of Meridian High School’s Cyber Patriots team exposed him to the challenges and opportunities in computer science.

Perez took part in the First Robotics Competition in high school. Photo provided

He burnished his high school resume with a lot of extracurriculars: He was the lead engineer on a Science Olympiad team, participated in George Mason’s Youth Research Council, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, and was a four-year participant in the urban farm project at his school.

Perez is the child of immigrants from the Philippines—both his parents are nurses—and he recognizes that opportunities presented here at George Mason will allow him a great path toward upward mobility that he might not have at other institutions, especially being able to save money while living at home. “I knew I would be happy here and get what I need, especially because I feel like I've already formed a sense of community here.”

He’s ready and excited for what new changes are in place. “I’m aware of the new amount of freedom and responsibility I’ll have as a college student. I’ll just be prepared to take that on. I’m trying to push myself to do a lot this first semester and I’m part of the Global Gateway and will be going to Korea in my second semester. It will be a great way to throw myself in there.”

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