To hear Dominic Fiedtkou-Leonard speak with such force and assurance, it is difficult to reconcile how he described himself as a George Mason University freshman.
“When I entered college, I was very introverted, very quiet,” he said. “Stereotypical art kid in the corner with a sketch pad.”
But as a sophomore, Fiedtkou-Leonard committed to being more involved in campus life and as a junior gained enough confidence to be a Patriot Leader.
Add his eclectic mix of classes, and the senior English major from Lorton, Va., who is graduating Saturday, May 14, is a prime example of a student who took advantage of all George Mason offers.
“Mason has a lot going on academically,” he said. “You also have time to explore, do whatever you want. I felt well-incorporated into the Mason community.”
Fiedtkou-Leonard minored in women and gender studies and psychology, which included a six-credit trip to Cyprus. He is photo editor for the Volition Literary and Arts Journal, and he has been a member of the Pride Alliance, the Black Student Alliance and the Caribbean Student Association. He also was an academic mentor in Mason’s Early Identification Program, a preparatory program for students who will be first in their families to attend college. He has studied Japanese and Spanish.
“I don’t know what draws me to so many different things,” Fiedtkou-Leonard said. “I’m just curious. If something seems cool, I’ll delve into it. I’ll try anything once is my motto.”
"He was a superb, exemplary student," said English professor Keith Clark. "His presentations in the class were always of the highest caliber, and his critical essays were penetrating and nuanced, often forcing me to think about texts in new and startling ways. He is indeed, without question, one of the brightest students I've taught in my 20-plus years of teaching at Mason."
Fiedtkou-Leonard said his mom, Simone, is a bookworm, and according to his father, Ellis, “We read to him while he was still in the womb, for heaven’s sake.”
Fiedtkou-Leonard has lived in Virginia and California while the family followed Ellis, a 34-year naval veteran. Family vacations have been to Hawaii, the Netherlands, Mexico and Bermuda.
“So his perspective on the world is a little bit broader,” Ellis said.
It will broaden further in the next 10 months as Fiedtkou-Leonard travels to Madrid to teach English with the nonprofit Council for International Education Exchange.
After that, we’ll see.
“There’s no one set path,” Fiedtkou-Leonard said. “Even if I think I know where I’m going it can’t be 100 percent because things are always changing.”
Much like Fiedtkou-Leonard changed at Mason.