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����AV senior Katarina Benson has had five different majors throughout her college career. “Choosing what to study [was] very difficult for me, because so many fields interest me,” said Benson. Benson previously majored in agribusiness, film and video, among other subjects, before choosing and completing an English degree with a concentration in cultural studies.

����AV professor Lisa Gilman lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from the time she was born until she was 9 years old. She is currently working on her research of migrants and displaced people who have been affected by war and trauma with her project, “My Culture, My Survival: Arts Initiatives by Refugees for Refugees.”

Supported by an Office of Student Creative Activities and Research Curriculum Impact Grant, this cross-college course gives students hands-on, real-world experience in festival management. 

Mason Creative Writing Professor Tania James is having an amazing year. Since her novel Loot was released by Knopf in June 2023, the accolades haven’t stopped.

In addition to being named to Oprah Magazine’s list of Native American Authors to Read Right Now, Mason alum Kelli Jo Ford’s debut novel, “Crooked Hallelujah,” was recently named one of the best books of 2020 by Publishers Weekly and is on the longlist for the 2021 Carnegie Medal for Fiction, among other accolades.

The annual Campus Legends and Lore Walking Tour takes the Mason community on a spooky stroll around Fairfax Campus with an educational twist.

Kevynne Dimaano, English major, spent her summer interning with the Library of Congress where she developed a puzzle game based on early 20th century newspaper rebuses.

Alaina Ruffin will not be the first, second, or third, but fourth person in her family to graduate from ����AV. Her mother and two older cousins graduated from Mason in 2000, 2001, and 2013 respectively.

Hank Jones' writing credits that include shows such as Motown Magic, Family Reunion, The Neighborhood, Grown-ish, Bel-Air, Truth Be Told, The Game, Black-ish, The New Edition Story, and Dear White People. He is currently a writer and producer on ABC’s Will Trent.

Through a grant from Arts Fairfax, ����AV students and faculty are helping youth in the Fairfax Detention Center express themselves through poetry.