Looking for Career Success? Start Here.
Meet Raven McCormick, the college’s career advising assistant director. McCormick is committed to helping students and alumni find careers aligned with their goals and giving them the tools to become the strongest candidates in the field.
Located on the first floor of Peterson Hall, the Career Advising Office provides students and alumni with personalized coaching such as resume-building workshops, one-on-one mock interviews, and in-person and virtual networking opportunities. Additionally, partnerships with local health care systems and businesses offer students an inside look at various career fields.
"We work with students and alumni to clarify their goals, strengthen their skills, and navigate the path to meaningful careers in public health, equipped for long-term success," said McCormick.
In spring 2025, as graduation approached, Sinoxolo “Susan” Favor, BS Community Health ’24, MPH ’25, had a federal job lined up in public health. Then the opportunity fell through. Like so many new graduates with their sights set on public sector jobs, she needed to pivot.
“That was where my heart was set,” Favor said. “But you have to be flexible. Nothing is set in stone.”
Favor’s ability to relaunch came with support from Raven McCormick, the dedicated career adviser for George Mason University’s College of Public Health. For two years, the two had met up regularly to map out Favor’s career path, fine-tuning résumés, and strategizing.
“We spent quite a bit of time exploring the dos and donts of applications,” McCormick said. “Local, federal, state, nonprofit, for-profit, just showing her all the different career avenues. Susan was probably one of the biggest go-getters I’ve worked with.”
The persistence paid off. Graduation was on a Saturday, and by Monday, Favor started full time as a Community Health Specialist with Fairfax County. There, she serves as a bridge to African and Muslim immigrant communities—organizing health fairs, connecting churches and nonprofits with resources, and linking families to clinics and immunizations. Recently, she coordinated a back-to-school drive where a local church received donated backpacks from Amazon.
From internship to full-time
Favor was drawn toward public health growing up in South Africa during the HIV/AIDS crisis, volunteering in clinics and schools alongside her mother, a nurse practitioner. She came to George Mason in 2022 as a transfer student through the ADVANCE program, enrolling in the accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s track from community health to public health.
With McCormick’s help tailoring her résumé to state government standards, Favor landed a practicum internship in August 2024 with the Fairfax County Health Department. She worked on the county’s Community Health Improvement Plan, analyzing partnerships and suggesting new programs to strengthen them.
Favor’s new role as a Community Health Specialist came naturally after establishing inroads with Fairfax County through the internship. As McCormick says: “Getting your foot in the door allows you to build the connections and move up.”
Now, as an alumna, Favor still checks in with McCormick as she envisions her next big steps. “I know I can go back to Raven. She’s knowledgeable, and even if she can’t help directly, she knows someone who can.”