For a self-proclaimed “small-town graduate from Missouri”, Connor Gary’s life has been anything but insular. A current student in the Peace Operations master’s program at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, his résumé is stocked with overseas travels and remarkable appointments, including stints in the corporate world, radio, and Peace Corps.
“I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania from March 2012 until May 2014, during which time I lived in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Gjrokastër,” he says. The assignment was the culmination of many wondrous and challenging adventures in which Connor did it all, from teaching English and running HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns to building museums and restoring Ottoman fortress homes.
Toward the end of his service, Connor began contemplating enrolling in a master’s program related to international affairs. He was keen to find a course of study that complemented his work in community and organizational development, business, and human trafficking prevention, but he didn’t know quite where to start.
So how did this small-town grad with a well-worn passport and the Albanian language under his belt end up at Mason?
Though he flirted with the idea of attending schools in Europe, Gary was taken with the Schar School’s Peace Operations program (POPP) – the opportunity to study peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction, and other topics in diplomacy and security in the Washington, DC area was entirely too alluring.
“I was impressed that Mason was the only university to offer a peace operations program as well as the emphasis on practical knowledge, which appealed to me over the theoretical content in other peace- and conflict-related programs.”
Gary began his degree quest in August 2014 and was impressed right away by the Schar School’s small class sizes, intense coursework, and fellow students. He also found inspiration in the well-qualified faculty, all of whom lent a range of enormously helpful and diverse experiences to the examination of many complex topics.
“I was very impressed with the professors at the Schar School,” he said. “Everyone is very approachable and happy to help in any way possible, and the fierce intelligence of my peers contributes to my passion for peace operations.”
Gary took the fast-track approach to grad school and finished in a record 15 months. Shortly before graduating, he landed a job in the International Programs section of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. His role fits right in line with his interests and expertise – he offers support to regional program directors in identifying, funding, and supporting initiatives aimed at prosecuting traffickers, protecting victims, and preventing human trafficking.
“I would not have secured this position had I attended another university,” he said. “A fellow Peace Operations graduate kindly recommended I be considered for hiring. While I went through a strict interviewing and vetting process, it was my GMU connection that got my foot in the door.”