Fairfax Campus

From Vietnam to Virginia: Duy Vu’s Remarkable Journey to the Commencement Stage

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:38:56 +0000

From Vietnam to Virginia: Duy Vu’s Remarkable Journey to the Commencement Stage Andrew J Schappert Mon, 04/28/2025 - 11:38

As the rows of soon-to-be graduates fill EagleBank Arena in a sea of green and gold at the May 15 Commencement ceremony, all eyes will turn to senior Duy Vu, who will take the podium as the student commencement speaker. For Duy, the honor to represent the graduating George Mason �鶹�� student body is the culmination of a seven-year journey that began half a world away.

Student Commencement speaker Duy Vu: ‘During my studies I learned about looking at things from different perspectives, how to think about decision-making, beliefs, and ideologies.’ Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

His story—and his advice to his graduating classmates—is worth listening to.

Duy came to the United States as a 15-year-old high school student, following his father, a deputy defense attaché for the Vietnamese government, to Washington, D.C. The transition, Duy admitted, wasn’t easy and his command of English was rudimentary.

“My grammar was strong,” Duy said of his language training in Vietnam, “but I could barely communicate when I first got here.”

He resolved to come to George Mason with a new attitude and develop the confidence to make the most of his time as a college student.

“I told myself I would make college a worthwhile experience,” he said. “I’d try everything. I’d step out of my comfort zone.”

The start was slow—Duy and his undergraduate classmates are likely the last cohort to have endured the COVID-19 campus shutdown—and by his junior year, Duy realized time was running short.

“That’s when it hit me: I have two years left. If I don’t do something now, I might not get another chance,” he said.

Duy transformed his campus experience. He dove into extracurricular student life by joining campus organizations, including serving as treasurer of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and vice president of finance for Beta Theta Pi, before starting his own Registered Student Organization (RSO), George Mason’s first-ever Pool Club. Pool, as in billiards.

“I just started enjoying the game,” he said. “There wasn’t a club, so I made one.”

The Pool Club quickly evolved into more than a casual hangout, with the team meeting at the tables at the Hub’s Corner Pocket game room, hosting tournaments, and traveling to other schools for competitions.

Joining organizations, besides being fun, expanded Duy’s world view. As treasurer for ALPFA, he learned the ropes of networking and professionalism. “It helped me understand the etiquette and skills needed in the business world,” he said. “And I got to learn from peers who were already finding success.”

Duy Vu majored in two bachelor of science programs, public administration and finance. Photo by Julia Conway/Schar School of Policy and Government

On top of his nonclassroom activities, Duy is a double major graduating from two bachelor of science degree programs: The Schar School of Policy and Government’s comprehensive public administration program and the Costello College of Business’s robust finance program.

He signed on to public administration thanks to his father’s suggestion.

“I wasn’t sure about it at first,” he said of the public administration major. “But during my studies I learned about looking at things from different perspectives, how to think about the way beliefs and ideologies play into a government’s decision-making.”

The Schar School professors also revealed to him a new-found fascination with “the financial and economic side of things,” he said, which is vital to creating successful public policy. “And that’s when I declared a second major in finance.”

Throughout his time at George Mason, Duy balanced a double-major’s-worth of classes—and all the reading, writing, and exams that go along with two majors—with organizational leadership activities with classmates and a part-time job at the Schar School’s Aquia headquarters on George Mason’s Fairfax Campus, where he supported students for nearly four years as an office assistant.

“I’ve worked with Ms. Colette since my sophomore year,” he said of K. Collette Lawson, the longtime Schar School administrative and technical coordinator. “It was my first ‘real’ experience outside of school. It’s going to be hard to leave.”

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Live Discussion with David French: What Do Evangelical Christians Want, Liberty or Authority?

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 19:12:50 +0000

Live Discussion with David French: What Do Evangelical Christians Want, Liberty or Authority? Andrew J Schappert Mon, 10/14/2024 - 15:12

In the 1970s and ’80s, David French said, the idea of the separation between church and state began to fray due to “some of the constitutional overreach that occurred. Governments became way too vigorous in suppressing religious expression in public places, up to and including private religious expression.

“Now we’ve moved into a world where a number of Christians are saying, ‘liberty isn’t enough—we also want authority.’”

New York Times columnist David French. Photo provided.

That apparent evolution in contemporary religious thinking is the theme of French’s talk on Monday, October 21, at 7 p.m., when the New York Times columnist addresses “Liberty or Authority? Christian Political Engagement at the Crossroads” in Merten Hall, Room 1201, on George Mason �鶹��’s Fairfax Campus. The event is free, and no registration is required.

The appearance is cosponsored by the Schar School of Policy and Government and the Department of Religious Studies at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The talk will appeal to “members of the George Mason community who want to understand the vicissitudes of contemporary evangelical Christianity,” said Professor John Turner, who is the chair of the Department of Religious Studies and will introduce French. “David French understands the fervency and anguish that characterize contemporary Christian engagement with politics.”

A Times conservative columnist who has been critical of Donald Trump, French is a former Harvard Law School-trained constitutional lawyer and an Army Reserve veteran of the Iraq War. His military service and legal expertise often inform his perspectives on issues related to national security, military ethics, and foreign policy.

“French has been a fearless advocate for free speech, religious liberty, and a principled politics in which character and virtue matter more than partisan victories,” Turner said. “Almost all Americans admit that we need to make more of an effort to talk with people across partisan and ideological boundaries. Few journalists and activists do that better than David French.”

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Retro Mason: George Mason College opens in Fairfax, 1964

Colleen Rich — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 21:09:43 +0000

Retro Mason: George Mason College opens in Fairfax, 1964 Colleen Rich Thu, 09/12/2024 - 17:09

George Mason College officially opened in Fairfax, Virginia, on Sept. 14, 1964. Then a branch campus of the �鶹�� of Virginia, the college welcomed 356 registered students and had a faculty that included seven full-time and 18 part-time instructors. The campus consisted of four buildings, then named North, South, East, and West.

At the time, it was the only college in the capital region with buildings that were fully air-conditioned. Though the temperatures were comfortable inside, some amenities still needed to be added. Food service was not available at first, but efforts were quickly made to address that. During the first week of classes, vending machines were hastily set up in a study hall.

George Mason would later set up a dining hall, the Ordinary, in the South Building (now called Krug Hall). The Ordinary was open until the �鶹�� Union, now known as Student Union Building I, was built in 1974.

Photo credit: George Mason College, fall 1964. George Mason �鶹�� photograph collection, #R0120, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason �鶹�� Libraries

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Mason named a Bicycle Friendly �鶹��

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 16:52:38 +0000

Mason named a Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� Lauren Reuscher Thu, 11/02/2023 - 12:52

George Mason �鶹�� has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� by the League of American Bicyclists for promoting safe, accessible bicycling on campus.

The League of American Bicyclists is a grassroots advocacy organization encouraging better bicycling and protecting the rights of people who bike.

Mason’s Fairfax Campus received the silver-level Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� award for the second time, and Mason Square received the bronze-level award for the second time. The Fairfax Campus was recognized with a bronze-level award in 2011 and 2015.

George Mason �鶹�� has been named a Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� by the League of American Bicyclists. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding

“Being recognized as a Bicycle Friendly �鶹��, going back to 2011, is a sign of Mason’s support of bicycling as a great commuting option,” said Josh Cantor, director of Parking and Transportation at Mason. “Support for bicycling is an important component of the overall transportation program, which aims to provide many options for the large and diverse Mason community.”

Mason encourages bicycling as a transportation option and provides amenities such as the Patriot Bike Checkout program and a Capital Bikeshare discount for students. A Capital Bikeshare station is located at Mason Square. Employees are eligible for incentives such as the Biking Commuter Choice program.

All Mason Shuttles and public buses that serve the campuses are outfitted with bike racks. Getting around campus on a bike is safer and easier with the availability of bike lanes and bike fix-it stations. Those interested in biking to campus, but need help finding a route, can contact bike volunteers for advice.

Bicycling programs also have a positive environmental impact. “An array of transit options, including cycling, is an important part of the university’s commitment to sustainability,” said Janet Walker, Mason’s transportation programs manager. “Mason strives to reduce carbon emissions by reducing the number of faculty, staff, and students who drive or drive alone to our campuses.”

The Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� program includes 220 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia. “It is inspiring to see so many universities committing to the vision of a Bicycle Friendly America,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.

“These institutions, including Mason, are leading by example and helping to set the standard for better bicycling. Each Bicycle Friendly �鶹�� acts as a trailblazer to develop and promote safer, more accessible transportation infrastructure and supportive programming for new bicyclists in their communities,” Nesper said.

Bicycle Friendly �鶹��^SM is a service mark of the League of American Bicyclists.