The Mason Spirit

Jenna St. John, MFA Creative Writing ’08, is a dancer and actor. And now that she can throw filmmaker into her bag of theatrical tricks, she’s a bona fide triple threat. On July 31, St. John will premiere her first full-length movie at Fairfax’s Cinema Arts Theatre, not far from her old Mason stomping grounds….

Continue Reading Alumna Filmmaker Premiering Movie this Month

Tune in to the new season of Hell’s Kitchen to catch one of Mason’s own, Brendan Heavey, BA History ‘o4, competing against 17 other contestants—and host Gordon Ramsay’s fiery temper—to be head chef at New York City’s BLT Steak, complete with a quarter-million-dollar salary.

Continue Reading Mason Alum Sizzles on Hell’s Kitchen

In honor of the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary, Mason alumna  Sara Hughlett, BA Foreign Language ’08, and more than 50 Peace Corps volunteers recently built a house in six days (May 30–June 4) to benefit a family in Romania. In addition to constructing the two-bedroom home, the Peace Corps volunteers managed event preparations and logistics….

Continue Reading Mason Alumna Volunteers with the Peace Corps in Romania

The new number two man in Somalia is a graduate of Mason. According to an assortment of news outlets from around the world, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, PhD Economics ’00, has been named prime minister of the eastern African nation, placing him one spot below the war-torn country’s president, Sheik Sharif Ahmed. So, who is Ali?…

Continue Reading Alumnus Named Prime Minister of African Nation

A few years ago, Joey Hernandez, BS Health Science ’06, posed the question to her boyfriend, Tim Ma, an electrical engineer, “If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?” He said, “Own my own restaurant.” She said, “Well then, why don’t we?”

Continue Reading Mason Alum Keeps On (Food) Truckin’

The Mason Alumni Association inducted the first class of members into the new Golden Quill Society on Wednesday, May 18. The society, which the association formed earlier this year, recognizes outstanding graduates prior to graduation and cultivates their leadership within the alumni community after graduation. “Our student leaders make a tremendous impact on the life…

Continue Reading Alumni Association Establishes the Golden Quill Society

How many employees can say a war fought 150 years ago is just now adding to their workload? Well, for one, Nicole Osier, MA History ’09, can. Osier is the senior manager of Education Programs at the Civil War Trust. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization strives to protect the massive amount of history that…

Continue Reading 150 Years Later, the Civil War Is Keeping This Alum Busy

This spring, Luther, who replaced Capt. Chip Miller III as commanding officer, is scheduled to take the ship on its first official deployment. “Over the past month, I’ve seen that George H.W. Bush is a respected, well-trained, professional command that is ready to serve our nation in a time of war,” Luther told his crew…

Continue Reading Anchors Away, My Alum!

Battling the lure of alcohol was nothing new for Shevonne Polastre’s younger sister, Kristine. No one thought, though, the problem would turn tragic, as it did on Jan. 26, 2010, when Kristine was found dead on an air base in Japan, the victim of alcohol poisoning. But while still deeply hurt by the loss of…

Continue Reading Alumna Turns Tragedy into Way to Help Others

A postcard not only captures the thoughts of its sender, according to digital historian and Mason alumnus Trevor Owens, MA History ’09, but it also supplies a snapshot of the place and time it was dropped in the mailbox. Owens is the author of Fairfax County, a history of the sprawling Northern Virginia locale told through graying…

Continue Reading Alumnus Puts His Stamp on History