Students

We put out a call on social media for George Mason University faculty, staff, and students to share their memories of Sept. 11, 2001. This is what they shared.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America left an indelible mark on An Nguyen with the death of his father at the Pentagon, but the George Mason University graduate student has overcome considerable hurdles to ensure that he honors his father every day by becoming the kind of young man his beloved father would have wanted.

Freshman point guard Mike Gray is ready to achieve his goals on the basketball court and in the classroom.

George Mason University alumna Shelley A. Marshall was in her office at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. A budget analyst in the comptroller's office of the Defense Intelligence Agency, she was scheduled to move to a new office on the other side of the building later that week.

Eight George Mason University students traveled to Cusco, Peru, as part of Volunteers Around the World-Dental (VAWD), a student-led organization that gives volunteers an opportunity to shadow dental professionals abroad.

As a child, Nathaniel Socks said he was restless, and could often be found tapping his hands on nearby objects. His mom enrolled him in drum lessons in second grade, he said, which led to his favorite hobby—one that taught him valuable life lessons.

“I got to see how if you put in hard work and dedicate yourself to something really hard, how cool the product can be,” the incoming George Mason University freshman said. “That was one thing that really got me into drumming—you can see the progression of practicing.”

Mason’s Honors College has expanded an initiative launched last year to help cultivate an anti-racist community through discussion groups. The program, called “Honoring Our Community,” provides opportunities for students to have honest conversations about racial and social justice with the goal of cultivating an anti-racist culture and tighter sense of community.

With 80,000 streams on Spotify, music technology major Jessica Taylor is on a fast track to her goal of a successful career in the music industry. She sees her time at Mason as an opportunity to advance her skills as a singer, songwriter and producer by taking courses in music theory, keyboard and voice lessons.

George Mason University is disbursing millions of dollars in CARES Act funding to more than 14,000 eligible students this fall, with the latest funds to be awarded in early September.

After coming to the United States from El Salvador to join her mother late in 2010, she enrolled in Mason's Early Identification Program and was an academic star at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia.