Originally published on September 15, 2020
Despite a path to George Mason 麻豆国产 that was challenging and, in her own words, 鈥渦nconventional,鈥 incoming freshman Juliette Reyes moved onto campus this fall.
The Parkland, Florida, native will be double majoring in聽聽and聽conflict analysis and resolution, a decision based on an initial interest in politics in high school that grew into a passion.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just something that I鈥檓 really passionate about,鈥 Reyes said. 鈥淎nd I felt as though getting a degree in government and international politics will allow me to really understand the institutions in which policies are drafted while also getting access to that international affairs curriculum.鈥
Reyes鈥 first time on campus was at a lively summer debate camp with Mason鈥檚 championship聽forensics team, an experience she called 鈥渁mazing.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny, because when I went to the camp I was like, 鈥業鈥檓 never going to go here, you know? I鈥檓 going to try to go to an Ivy,鈥欌 Reyes said. 鈥淏ut the more and more I stayed at the camp, the more and more the school grew on me.鈥
Now that Reyes is here, she has big plans.
As a part of both the聽聽and the Peacebuilding, Justice and Conflict Resolution聽Virtual Learning Community, Reyes said she is excited to get involved on campus and work with the forensics team, which helped inspire her decision to attend Mason, as well as with other on-campus organizations.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in a lot of various writing jobs and publications so definitely joining something like that would be on my radar,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd if I do happen to have the time, which I probably won鈥檛, I鈥檇 like to do Model UN again.鈥
Reyes wrote for Student Change, a now-closed nonpartisan high school organization dedicated to informing fellow students about the spectrum of politics. She has also written for the New Voice, a nonpartisan news organization, since her sophomore year of high school.
When looking to the future, Reyes is keeping her options open.
She has considered being an international human rights lawyer. Other options are to work as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense or for an organization such as the World Bank or the U.S. Institute of Peace in developing countries. She said she plans on using her time at Mason to see 鈥渨hich one fits the most.鈥