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Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Anthropology student digs deep at Department of Commerce internship

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 19:40:46 +0000

Anthropology student digs deep at Department of Commerce internship Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 15:40

Zain Alzubaidy, a senior anthropology major at George Mason 麻豆国产, recently completed an internship with the United States Department of Commerce. He worked in the Advocacy Center, a government service that provides commercial diplomatic support to American businesses in foreign markets.聽聽聽

The majority of Alzubaidy鈥檚 internship focused on potential partners for the Advocacy Center. He was responsible for researching applicants and presenting his findings to his colleagues, who ultimately decided if they would partner with the company.聽聽

One of his most memorable projects was crafting a persuasive letter to a foreign head of state on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce at the time, making the case for a business to be awarded a multi-trillion-dollar contract.聽聽

Zain Alzubaidy. Photo provided

聽鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to read about these deals in the news, but it鈥檚 entirely different to take part in them. Assignments like those made me proud that I was part of something notable,鈥� he said.聽聽

His passion for understanding people and cultures is what initially led him to take anthropology at the international baccalaureate level as a senior at Annandale High School. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to major in the subject at George Mason.聽

聽鈥淚 can recall being astounded by how people have such different ways of thinking and living,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y experience in that class stuck with me, and when I got to George Mason it felt an easy decision to study anthropology.鈥�聽聽

He specifically credits his writing classes with teaching him the skills necessary for his role. 鈥淚 developed strong research and writing skills [in those classes], which I absolutely needed to use in the Advocacy Center. If I didn鈥檛 have the writing and research skills that I developed at George Mason, I would not have been able perform my job to the best of my ability. "聽

Alzubaidy graduates this May and his future goals include doing further diplomatic work, possibly in the same vein as his Advocacy Center work, and maybe even running for public office down the road.聽聽

鈥淚 feel like I have not only the competency and capability to do well in those areas, but also the right intentions,鈥� he said. 鈥淗elping others will always be a goal of mine, so I will try my best to do that wherever I decide to work.鈥�聽

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Department of Sociology and Anthropology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master鈥檚

Sarah Holland — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:40:51 +0000

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master鈥檚 Sarah Holland Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:40

Monika Blakely, BS Information Technology 鈥�24, has lived all over the world, but her time at George Mason 麻豆国产 has been particularly special. From rowing with the women鈥檚 rowing team to working as an influencer with ShopMason, this soon-to-be double George Mason graduate has left her mark on Fairfax Campus.

Photo provided

Blakely plans to graduate in spring 2025 with a master鈥檚 in management from Costello College of Business, completed through the Bachelor鈥檚 to Accelerated Master鈥檚 Program.

What inspired you to combine information technology and management?

My long-term goal is to be a project manager, and I think it鈥檚 useful to know both the technical side and the management side to understand how to be effective as a project manager. It also gives me the flexibility to do what I want in a different career path, if that ends up being right for me. I had extra spaces in my undergraduate classes, so I added the Bachelor鈥檚 to Accelerated Master鈥檚 Program for management.

Tell me about your internships.

Currently I have two internships. The first is with Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED). I started there in fall 2023 as a social media intern. I thought local government was interesting. I鈥檇 never been involved in that industry before and wanted to learn more about who鈥檚 involved and what they do for the city. I figured I鈥檇 try it and see if I liked it, and I did! I became a marketing fellow with FCED in spring 2024, and I am now a part-time programs associate.

My second internship is with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). I鈥檝e been a public relations intern there since summer 2024.

What classes would you say have set you up for success at your internships?

Senior Capstone, for one, because I think that鈥檚 been the most similar to real-world problem solving. We worked with different concentrations in the IT department. We had people doing web development, programming, cybersecurity, and so on, seeing how those different skill sets can contribute to that one broad end goal.

GBUS 653 Organizational Behavior has also been helpful, just learning about different learning styles, how your learning style can fit in with others, and so on.

How have your extracurriculars impacted your work in the classroom?

Teamwork and communication are probably the biggest things. In rowing, you have different parts of the boat, different strengths coming together, and you have to work to stay in sync. Sometimes when you work in a team, it鈥檚 not always ideal for you. You have to learn how to work with other people, how to adjust your learning style to fit with theirs, and how to make compromises with decisions that won鈥檛 be agreed on.

My roles at FCED and GDIT helped me improve my communication skills. Even if you don鈥檛 work within your team, you鈥檙e working with other sections, and you always have to cross-collaborate. So, with FCED and GDIT, you have people from different backgrounds and different departments, which taught me how to collaborate effectively across teams to deliver a clear, unified message.

ShopMason also helped strengthen my communication skills, because you鈥檙e constantly collaborating with students and departments across the university and you have to come together to share a clear and engaging message. That experience has helped me better contribute in classroom discussions, group projects, and presentations.

Blakely, 6th from left, with the staff of FCED. Photo provided.

What are you most proud of from your time at George Mason?

Being involved in different organizations and meeting a bunch of people I probably wouldn鈥檛 have connected with otherwise. I鈥檝e been involved in organizations that reflect my culture and my studies, like the Japanese Student Association, the National Society for Black Engineers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Connecting with students similar to me has made the university experience worth it.

What makes George Mason special?

As the daughter of military service members, I鈥檝e lived on different military bases around the world, and I think what makes George Mason special is that it has a space for everyone. There are cultural organizations, religious groups, interest groups...everyone can find a place to belong here, and that鈥檚 not the case everywhere.

What鈥檚 one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

If there鈥檚 a skill you want to develop or an interest you have, pursue it in undergrad when you have the time and space to do so. You never know when those skills will be useful, and if you鈥檙e passionate about your work, people will notice.聽
聽

2025 Spring Commencement

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Master's in Management Program

A tourism and events management student runs away with the circus鈥�

Shayla Brown — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 21:43:27 +0000

A tourism and events management student runs away with the circus鈥� Shayla Brown Thu, 01/30/2025 - 16:43

Sami Saghir graduated with his bachelor of science in tourism and events management from George Mason 麻豆国产 in August of 2024. The last component before completing his degree from the College of Education and Human Development was working with the Cirque du Soleil聽KURIOS聽show. He received a full-time job offer after this experience and entered his career with Cirque Du Soleil post-graduation.聽

Sami Saghir. Photo provided.

Originally planning to focus on hotel management, Saghir did his practicum at the Marriott Hotel in Fairfax, Virginia.聽聽

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful that we have the practicum built into the program because although working at the hotel was a good experience, I was able to see that I wanted to explore different places within my field,鈥� said Saghir.聽聽

Saghir鈥檚 career path was also affected by his professor,聽Tina Jones.聽聽聽

鈥淪he brought in so many people from different fields during our event planning class. I was on a really narrow track, so it was a very eye-opening experience to learn about the different jobs that fall into the hospitality tourism field,鈥� he said.聽聽聽聽

Saghir discovered his passion for Cirque du Soleil when he worked there as an usher at their Tyson鈥檚 Corner location in 2022 during his sophomore year.聽聽聽聽

鈥淚 was a local hire because they use a staffing agency to hire about 120 staff members to work as ushers, food and beverage, or merchandise employees in each of the cities they鈥檙e touring in,鈥� said Saghir.聽聽聽聽聽

Saghir鈥檚 supervisor, who tours with the company, encouraged him to learn more about it and consider working there after the 2022 Tyson鈥檚 performances.聽聽聽聽聽聽

When the tour returned to Tyson鈥檚 Corner the following summer, Saghir connected with his former supervisor and said he was interested in pursuing Cirque du Soleil as a career post-graduation.聽聽

鈥淚 thought it was so fascinating, and I now have a full-time job with them, touring year-round as their guest experience supervisor,鈥� he said.聽聽聽

As guest experience supervisor, Saghir is responsible for ensuring that every guest has a memorable and enjoyable experience by assisting all front of house departments, including ticket services, ushers, food and beverage, and the exclusive VIP experience to ensure seamless operations and exceptional service.聽聽聽

Saghir also hosts behind-the-scenes events, offering guests an insider's look at the magic of Cirque Du Soleil and collaborates closely with the sponsorship team at headquarters to ensure sponsor expectations are met. Additionally, Saghir works hand-in-hand with the local staff hired in each city to maintain high standards of guest satisfaction.聽聽聽聽

Sami Saghir (far right) with colleagues. Photo provided

鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 a circus, so no day is ever really the same as another one, and it also changes from city to city,鈥� said Saghir.聽聽

For this position, Saghir has traveled to Montreal, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

鈥淚t was a career that I really wanted to pursue, so I just put myself out there, and showed my experience and enthusiasm about the job,鈥� said Saghir.聽聽聽

鈥淚 would tell other students that if there鈥檚 something you really want to do with your life, just go for it and don't hesitate,鈥� he said.聽聽

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Bioengineering major pursues his career goals with internships

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:51:24 +0000

Bioengineering major pursues his career goals with internships Katarina Benson Wed, 01/15/2025 - 15:51

George Mason 麻豆国产 bioengineering student Andy Gomez is a busy guy. Not only is he working on a year-long internship with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), he is also a part-time clinical research assistant at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute.聽

For the internship with the NNSA under the Department of Energy in Aiken, South Carolina, Gomez is working on classified government projects. So you might wonder how much he can say about his work.

鈥淲hat I can talk about is [my work] on nondestructive assays. We use new gamma detectors to measure nuclear material, trying to make sure there's no theft and insider threat because we work with weapons-grade nuclear material every day,鈥� said the senior College of Engineering and Computing student.

鈥淚f it works accurately in our tests, then we can pretty much use that as our new base now under the NNSA,鈥� he explained.

Gomez hopes the hybrid internship, through the Minority Serving Institution Internship Program (MSIIP), will be a stepping stone to a government position with a biomedical focus. MSIIP is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) program that brings in students from minority serving institutions, including George Mason.

Gomez works on the continuous monitoring and detection of theft and diversion of nuclear material.

This project could revolutionize nuclear safety, security, and emergency response, said Gomez. It can also help monitor radioactive sources used at power plants, particle accelerators, and hospitals, prevent nuclear proliferation and terrorism, clean up and remediate contaminated sites, and respond to disasters like the Fukushima accident in Japan.

In June, Gomez and his team spent two and a half weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Sandia National Lab, which is where he met and drove Spot, a four-legged robot dog that detects and maps radiation in any environment and is in the works for providing mobile monitoring in real-time.

They also visited the Los Alamos National Lab, well-known for being the work space of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.

鈥淚t was such an exciting experience touring all of these locations and seeing places that were particularly impactful to my field,鈥� said Gomez.

More locally Gomez is working with computed tomography biomarkers as a part-time clinical research assistant at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax.

鈥淕rowing up, I was captivated by the stories of physicians and researchers unveiling their latest innovations to treat illnesses and discover treatments,鈥� said Gomez. 鈥淚 felt a sense of awe at the sheer possibility of what human ingenuity could achieve, and I wanted to be part of the effort to bridge the gap between technological engineering and medical needs.鈥�

Ingenuity can be a 鈥減owerful reminder of the resilience of life and the importance of finding ways to support that resilience through innovation,鈥� he said.

Gomez has taken two biomedical classes at George Mason: Bioengineering 437/537 Medical Image Processing with Associate Professor Vicky Ikonomidou and Bioengineering 360 Biomedical Imaging with visiting Inova physician Jason Yeo.

Gomez credits these courses with preparing him for his work with nuclear medicine, X-rays, photoelectrons, protons, gamma and the movements of alpha-beta particles.

鈥淟ike many students, Andy initially struggled in my class, but through perseverance, dedication and a positive attitude, he was able to overcome may difficulties and successfully complete the course,鈥� said Juan Raul Cebral, who taught Gomez in Bioengineering 230.

鈥淭hese are necessary qualities for a good engineer and scientist鈥攈ard working, passionate about the work and learning, perseverant and focused鈥攁nd they all apply to Andy,鈥� he said.

One thing Gomez will take with him from these experience into his future professional endeavors is the importance of communication.

鈥淲e have to have open lines of communication constantly, especially within the government,鈥� said Gomez. 鈥淧eople are contributing work to different kinds of projects, and it鈥檚 important to update our team members and others about our progress in order to make as big of an impact as we can with the work we鈥檙e trying to do.鈥�

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College of Engineering and Computing

Checking in to a 鈥渟uite鈥� internship with Marriott International

Sarah Holland — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 14:34:55 +0000

Checking in to a 鈥渟uite鈥� internship with Marriott International Sarah Holland Wed, 01/15/2025 - 09:34

When business major Kyle Samuel went to George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 Fall 2023 Career Fair with a list of companies to speak with, he didn鈥檛 realize he would land an internship that would kickstart his career.

With a legacy connection to Marriott hotels through his father, who worked for Marriott at the property level, a chat with the Marriott representative led to securing a competitive spot as a finance HQ intern with Marriott International.聽

Now, in addition to completing a summer internship with Marriott, Samuel is working part-time for the hotel company and making plans to return in summer 2025 for a second internship.聽

Kyle Samuel (left) with Marriott founder's grandson, David Marriott. Photo provided.

Why did you choose George Mason?

There are a couple of reasons why. First, it鈥檚 close to home and within my culture we try to live with our parents even after we鈥檙e 18. So that was important to me. Affordability was a major aspect, too, because staying home saves some tuition. George Mason鈥檚 Costello College of Business is also great and well-established, especially compared to other schools in the region.聽

What inspired your interest in finance?

In junior year of high school, one of my uncles recommended the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. And that opened my eyes to how much personal finance matters in your life. I started reading more, like The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William N. Thorndike, Jr., and my interest just took off from there.聽

How did you find out about the internship at Marriott?

Through the career fair at George Mason. I went into the fair with notes about each company I was interested in, and Marriott was on the list. I spoke with the representative, and we really connected. She told me about the internship鈥擨 didn鈥檛 know that Marriott offered internships鈥攁nd she recommended that I apply.聽

It鈥檚 funny, whenever someone asks me about the career fair, I tell them I have a 100% track record, because I went to one fair and got an internship from it!聽

What did you do during your summer internship with Marriott?

Some of my major projects were conducting reviews of around 50 capital expenditure budgets from Marriott Select brands to ensure compliance and accuracy, checking the integrity and translation of data from Excel sheets to visualizations, and helping a senior manager send out revenue share allocations to select brand owners.聽

I also participated in a competition with the other interns where we were given a real-life business challenge that Marriott is facing, and we had to design a potential solution. So we brainstormed ideas for improving Marriott Bonvoy sign-ups among the Gen Z demographic.

One of the things I really appreciated about my internship is that I wasn鈥檛 just doing internship work that wouldn鈥檛 go anywhere once I was done: I was doing projects with impact.

How have your experiences at George Mason prepared you for your internship?

Many classes gave me the foundations I needed to succeed at my internship. BUS 210 Business I and BUS 310 Business Analytics II were really helpful because it allowed me to strengthen my Excel skills, and BUS 103 has helped improve my professional development skills.聽

麻豆国产 Career Services also played a monumental role. They helped me establish my resume, create my LinkedIn profile, and prepare for the interview with Marriott.聽

Kyle Samuel (right) with Anthony Capuano, current CEO of Marriott. Photo provided

What would you say is the importance of an internship?

School does prepare you for the workplace, but there鈥檚 really no substitute for actually experiencing a workplace. Understanding office culture, learning the hierarchies, networking; you can only really learn those soft skills through being in the workplace. And networking is so valuable. I鈥檝e had a meeting with the CEO of Marriott because I was able to network with the former intern, who connected me to the right people.聽

Where do you hope to be in ten years?

My long-term goal is to become the CFO of Marriott. I鈥檓 minoring in real estate, so working for Marriott combines my interest in finance with my interest in real estate. I love the culture; I feel like they really put people first and work together as a team. And there鈥檚 a lot of potential for them to grow in the future.聽
聽

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鈥淲hen one door closes, open another鈥�: This Costello student is making his way in music industry

Sarah Holland — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 15:57:59 +0000

鈥淲hen one door closes, open another鈥�: This Costello student is making his way in music industry Sarah Holland Wed, 12/04/2024 - 10:57

Cody Salenga has been making music since he was a teenager. Performing under the name Steph Cody Music, he鈥檚 got a growing fanbase on Spotify and co-launched an independent record label this year. So when it came time to look for a summer internship, Salenga knew he wanted something in the music industry.

That鈥檚 how Salenga, one of Costello College of Business鈥� graduating business majors with a concentration in marketing, found himself running social media for Capitol Dystrikt Music in Washington, D.C.

鈥淚t combines my two passions in music and marketing,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 my dream to work in the entertainment industry. The chance that one day I鈥檒l be listening to a song on the radio, or on Apple music, and realize, 鈥榟ey, I鈥檝e been in the studio when they were making that song鈥� is really cool.鈥澛�

In addition to managing social media and communications for Capital Dystrikt Music, Salenga works to build relationships between the artists and the studio to increase the studio鈥檚 presence. Building name recognition is at the core of his work, and that idea led to one of his major projects: the Graveyard Smash concert, hosted right here in the Johnson Center on Fairfax Campus on the eve of Halloween.聽

鈥淚 really wanted to put on a concert, so I pitched the idea of a concert sponsored by Capitol Dystrikt Music to the Student Centers using the Plaza Palooza (named after the Lollapalooza festival) as a template. And we had a great turnout,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really just came together into a beautiful thing that I could find so much pride in.鈥�

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of 麻豆国产 Branding

Capitol Dystrikt Music saw 200% more web traffic this month than previously, which Cody attributes to the event. 鈥淭ables in the Johnson Center were filled throughout the festival,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e probably had roughly 200 attendees.鈥�

Salenga sees strong similarities between building an album and building a marketing campaign. 鈥淵ou work tirelessly on something for a long time, and you want people to see it and be moved by it, whether that鈥檚 an album or a product launch,鈥� he said. His work speaks for itself, having grown the studio鈥檚 impressions by 113,780% or 5,694 impressions within a 30-day period, and 3.1k accounts reached in that same timeframe too.

Diving into the industry hasn鈥檛 been without challenges. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough learning curve, figuring out how marketing works in the music industry, what鈥檚 going to land well, what will produce results, and so on,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the classes like Digital Marketing and other foundational marketing classes I鈥檝e taken at George Mason have given me a really solid marketing foundation.鈥澛�

He cites the hands-on learning experiences in his marketing electives as being particularly impactful. A simulation tracking social post-performance and SEO, for example, gave him important insights into the mechanisms of marketing that he鈥檚 applying to both his professional and personal social presence.聽

鈥淲hen it comes to George Mason, the stereotype that I鈥檝e heard employers have of us is that we鈥檙e hardworking and gritty, and we don鈥檛 take things for granted. That's what we bring to the table in interviews that makes us different,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o when one door closes, don鈥檛 wait for something else to open: make a new opportunity for yourself.鈥�

Salenga, left, performs on stage at Graveyard Smash. Photo provided

Build a solid foundation in Costello College of Business

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