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91���� senior Mehmood Shajih has built his college experience around one goal: creating better mental health outcomes for young people.  

That mission has shaped both his academic path as a major in the and his long-running internship with Prince William County (Virginia) Schools (PWCS)—a unique opportunity that was created specifically for him. 

Shajih, who is also part of George Mason’s program, first became interested in developmental psychology in high school. As a student in the biomedical science program at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, he completed a year-long research project on how parents influence children’s behavior. He also worked with AlphaBEST, a before- and after-school care program, where he saw firsthand how early mental health and education challenges can affect children. 

And when he wasn’t studying students’ behavior, he was advocating on behalf of it. As a member of his high school student senate, Shajih represented his peers to county leaders and built relationships with school system officials. That’s how he met , former PWCS administrative supervisor of career counseling. 

“When he reached out to inquire about an internship, his background and clear interest in child psychology and youth development aligned directly with the �Ǵڴھ�����’s mission,” Shaver said. 

There was only one problem. 

“There were no internship positions in her office; she had never had an intern before,” said Shajih. “But we spoke about my interests and career goals and basically developed the role that I eventually took on together.” 

That initiative made an impression on Shaver.  

“Rather than taking on pre-defined tasks, Mehmood actively developed and implemented the College and Career Student and Alumni Ambassador Program from the ground up,” Shaver said. 

For Shajih, who immigrated to the United States in 2016, the work is personal. He said he faced challenges navigating the college application and financial aid processes.  

“My parents and I were unfamiliar with the post-high school graduation processes in America, so I was learning about that process all on my own,” he said. “Now, I really want to help students facing the same issues that I faced before.” 

As an intern with PWCS, Shajih supports initiatives designed to help students think about their futures early and often. “There is a level of preparation that can be instilled no matter where you are in life,” he said. 

Shajih has assisted with college and career fairs, helped develop school-based college and career clubs, and created systems to support long-term program success. He also developed a standard operating guide for the clubs and introduced pre- and post-surveys so school staff could better assess student outcomes and program effectiveness.  

He also helped organize PWCS’s broader focus on career exploration. The district offers specialty programs in areas such as nursing, biotechnical, biomedical, firefighting, and auto tech, among others.  

“They’re a great way to get students interested in these fields early on and keep them on track,” said Shajih. “Students can change their mind at any point, but at least they are gaining knowledge about different fields.” 

Shajih said the work he does for his internship, which was funded by the , a paid fellowship program for Honors College students, was heavily reinforced by his academic experience at George Mason, where he worked on child developmental research with his mentors—George Mason psychology professors and  

Mehmood's intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning stood out early on during his time in the Honors program,” said Brielmaier. “I saw tremendous growth in Mehmood. Not only did he improve his analytical, writing, and oral presentation skills, but he became a leader within his Honors cohort.” 

Shajih’s research focused on the marshmallow test, an assessment of children’s ability to delay gratification. Over three semesters, he worked closely with his mentors to complete and defend his honors thesis. He later developed that meta-analysis into a research paper, Why Wait? A Meta-Analysis of Task and Sample Moderators of Children’s Performance on the Marshmallow Test, which was published in the .

“Meta-analyses are much more methodologically sophisticated and labor-intensive than the projects undertaken by most of our Honors students,” Brielmaier said. “Mehmood was involved each step of the way, from designing the study to screening abstracts for inclusion to developing the code for data analysis.”  

At the spring Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact, Shajih was with a 2026 OSCAR Excellence Award for his research.   

Looking ahead, Shajih said he plans to attend medical school and hopes to build a career that combines clinical care with research, particularly in work involving children and adolescent mental health. He sees his research and internship experiences as a foundation for that future.  

“The research and internship experiences that came from my time at George Mason were priceless,” Shajih said. “They’ve helped me start a dedicated career to do more for the children in my community.”