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Historic victory for George Mason’s Debate Team

Shayla Brown — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:22:50 +0000

Historic victory for George Mason’s Debate Team  Shayla Brown Thu, 12/04/2025 - 11:22

91��'s Debate Team won the prestigious West Point Sword at the United States Military Academy’s 60th annual National Debate Tournament in West Point, New York.

“This is one of the most iconic awards in college policy debate, and it was the one title George Mason Debate had never won until now,” said Jackie Poapst, director of the Debate Team. “To see our name finally engraved among the champions in the tournament’s 60th year is nothing short of historic. This moment represents six decades of legacy, and the future of excellence at George Mason.”

The victory in October was one of many for the George Mason varsity team this season.

George Mason's Debate Team. Photo provided.

George Mason students competed against teams from Harvard, Cornell, James Madison University, Liberty University, Binghamton University, New York University, the University of Rochester, and Suffolk University.

This year’s tournament topic was labor rights, and the George Mason team had several wins on the tournament leaderboard:

Austin Davis (Communication, sophomore) and Del Gorman (Government and International Politics, sophomore) — 1st Overall Seed, undefeated, Tournament Champions
Ashley Wright (Government and International Politics, junior) and Ben Witkov (Economics, freshman) — 2nd Overall Seed, Tournament Co-Champions
Reet Taxali (Criminology, junior) and Dean Richter (Government and International Politics, senior) — 4th Overall Seed, Elite Eight
Brenda Reyes (Conflict Analysis and Resolution, senior) and Amira Shananier (Computational and Data Science, senior) — 7th Overall Seed, Elite Eight

George Mason debaters also triumphed as individual speakers, winning four of the top five speaker awards, with Davis taking first place.

Students from George Mason's Debate team accepting the West Point Sword. Photo provided.

“I told my coaches last year after losing in the finals that it was ‘Sword or bust’ this season. To win it with Del and to do it for George Mason Debate, it’s a dream realized,” said Davis, who is also a teaching assistant for the writing-intensive course COMM 300 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism.

Other students placing individually were Witkov at 3rd, Gorman at 4th, and Wright at 5th.

Reyes also serves as the team’s social events coordinator.

“We've been going to this tournament every single year, and our director has always been our biggest supporter. I’m so proud of my team's hard work and dedication. It’s an honor to be part of this legacy,” said Reyes, who is in George Mason’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

“My partner Amira and I centered our debate on marginalized populations often neglected in labor rights,” said Reyes, who also serves as vice president of George Mason’s Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law and Government Fraternity. “We argued that migrants and undocumented workers are not classified as workers by the [National Labor Relations Act] therefore, do not get access to all labor rights under most generic cases. This makes teams start to question what they can do for migrant laborers who are undocumented, who we believe are the backbone of America.”

One of Reyes’ takeaways from this experience is that as a senior, her time on the team is winding down.

“The moments of working together to achieve our team's goal of earning the West Point Sword will always be a special core debate memory,” said Reyes. “These memories from supporting our George Mason team, no matter the results, are what matter the most.” “We argued that migrants and undocumented workers are not classified as workers by the [National Labor Relations Act]; therefore, they do not get access to all labor rights under most generic cases."

George Mason’s performance was described by tournament officials as “one of the most comprehensive team showings in recent memory.”

“This win means everything to our students,” Poapst said. “They have proven that teamwork, resilience, and belief in each other can quite literally make history.”

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Engineering students in Ecuador give locals a leg up

Jennifer Pocock — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 18:37:38 +0000

Engineering students in Ecuador give locals a leg up Jennifer Pocock Wed, 06/11/2025 - 14:37

In This Story

Ketul Popat

Shani Ross

Sixteen students from George Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing took an early summer ROMP in Quito.

Computer engineering major Darion El shapes a prosthetic as ROMP prostheticist Mireya Moreno supervises.
Photo by Shani Ross

It could have been just another frivolous start to the summer, full of parties and pools before kicking off internships and jobs. Instead, these students opted to change lives: those of amputees—and their own.

From May 16 to 26, 16 students in the BENG 417 Bioengineering World Health class with trip leaders Claudia Borke and Shani Ross worked in Quito, Ecuador, with the Range of Motion Project (ROMP) to fit locals with high-quality prosthetic devices. Ketul Popat, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, brought the ROMP program to George Mason after a successful run at Colorado State University.

“This was the first year that we did this,” he said. “The goal was to give more hands-on experience to students so they could see how a background in engineering could make a difference in people’s lives instantly.”

Different styles of prosthetics are displayed with shoes at the ROMP workshop. Photo by Darion El

The students absolutely felt the difference. Nicolas Garcia Callejas is a rising senior who began his academic career as a pre-med nursing student, earned an associate’s degree in health science, and is now hurtling through undergrad and straight into a master’s in bioengineering with George Mason’s Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program.

“We got to know the patients and help them through the process. Then we got to do everything from scratch in making the prosthetics,” he said. “We went from taking measurements, doing the sculpting and molding, refinements around the socket, and building the prosthetic. It was a full 9-5 job, but the time flew by because I was having fun.”

This trip, Garcia Callejas said, lit a fire in him to continue working with ROMP. Not only did he get to help others, as he wanted to do as a nursing student, but he could also make things hands-on and use his language skills to help translate. “ROMP was a really cool experience. I fell in love with the people there.”

Andres Miguel Cruz Guzman was another student who transferred to George Mason from a community college with an associate’s degree in engineering. This mechanical engineering major wants to eventually work on solar and water technology projects, but the personal and hands-on aspect of the Ecuador program attracted him.

“I liked that we were going to work directly with the patients,” he said. “The prosthetics are going on their bodies and will be something they wear for the next three years. I was intrigued by that challenge.”

One thing he didn’t anticipate, however, was the emotional aspect of the work. “I saw one 12-year-old boy walk for the first time. It didn’t hit me at the moment, but at bedtime the impact that we had on his life overwhelmed me,” he said.

Popat said that one thing that struck him was how quickly the students adapted to the work. “I went on the third day, and it didn’t seem like the students were new there,” he said. “They were already very comfortable with what they were doing.”

And that’s the kicker (pun intended). These programs are so valuable because they enable students to see, in a very short time, how their years of study prepared them to make a difference in the world.

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At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George Mason’s youngest master’s graduate

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 17:21:14 +0000

At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George Mason’s youngest master’s graduate Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 13:21

Yevin Goonatilake hasn’t slowed down since becoming 91��’s youngest graduate with a 4.0 in December. In fact, he’s only picked up speed.

Now 16, the Leesburg, Virginia, native has added another milestone to his remarkable journey—completing a master’s degree in computer science, making him the youngest person in university history to do so.

Along the way, Goonatilake landed a job, earned his learner’s permit, and continued playing professional cricket—all while finishing graduate classwork that would challenge even seasoned scholars.

“Graduate life has definitely been a lot busier and more challenging,” he said. “These last few months have been the most demanding yet.”

Enrolled in the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program through the College of Engineering and Computing, Goonatilake appears on track to finish his master’s with the same 4.0 GPA he held as an undergraduate.

Yevin Goonatilake. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“I’m proud to hold onto the record for the time being,” he said. “I’m sure it will be broken in the future, but it’s nice to be George Mason’s youngest ever master’s graduate for now.”

Taking four graduate courses this semester—including three advanced-level classes—meant longer hours and greater expectations. But Goonatilake has proven he’s up for the challenge of graduate study.

“One of the biggest differences I noticed in the graduate program is that it requires more independence,” he said. “The specific implementation details are often left to you. The focus shifts from following set instructions to producing meaningful results.”

His academic interests have sharpened, too. He’s especially drawn to cryptography, which involves applying encryption and decryption schemes to messages in order to conceal them.

As a master’s student research assistant, Goonatilake is working with Computer Science Professor and Eminent Scholar Giuseppe Ateniese on cutting-edge research at the intersection of cryptography and large language models (LLMs). His current focus: cryptographic watermarking—embedding hidden signals in artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to identify its source.

Ateniese said he was “quite astonished” upon learning Goonatilake’s age.

“But age aside, I’m impressed by his maturity, diligence, and ability to grasp extremely complex topics,” he said. “I’m delighted to have him on my team, and I have no doubt that he will continue to achieve remarkable success.”

Despite a demanding schedule, Goonatilake remains committed to cricket, playing for the Baltimore Royals Sunny Sohail (BRSS) Cricket Academy, part of Minor League Cricket. He trains several times per week and played in winter tournaments this past year in both Tampa and Miami.

“Balancing academics and cricket has kept me a little busier than I would prefer,” he said. “But I need both. Cricket keeps me grounded and gives me the outlet to clear my mind, giving me something to look forward to outside of academics.”

Celebrating his 16th birthday earlier this year has made that balancing act a little easier: with a learner’s permit in hand, Goonatilake is beginning to practice driving. “Now that I have my permit, I have been trying to drive whenever I can,” he said with a smile.

As for what’s next? Goonatilake hopes to remain at George Mason in the fall to pursue a PhD in computer science.

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Graduate student uses internship to study political polarization

sholla4 — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:50:59 +0000

Graduate student uses internship to study political polarization sholla4 Fri, 08/25/2023 - 15:50

When 91�� graduate student Yuhyun Sihn worked as a student research fellow and a project intern for the Peace and Conflict Center Asia (PACSC Asia) in Mason Korea, she felt there were not enough opportunities for people to have a dialogue.

PACSC Asia strives to improve the relationship between people from North Korea and North Korean diasporas who have settled in South Korea and those already living there. That internship prepared Sihn perfectly for the work she is doing as a master’s student at Mason’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and her internship this summer with the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/91��

“I want to create more spaces to discuss and share the future of the Korean peninsula with a variety of people,” said Sihn, who grew up in Incheon, Korea. “This [Sorensen] internship gave me a lot of insights and certainty in my vision to become a connector of people to resolve deep-rooted conflict in the Korean peninsula.”

After studying at Mason Korea, Sihn moved to the United States in January 2022 in time for the spring semester and completed her BA in conflict analysis and resolution in December 2022. Now she is working on her master’s in conflict analysis and resolution at Mason Square as part of Mason’s accelerated master’s program.

When she found out the Sorensen Institute of the University of Virginia’s 22nd Century Scholars summer internship program was open to students from other Virginia colleges, she decided to apply.

This year’s 22nd Century Scholars Program, which is a five-week virtual internship focusing on Virginia politics, was titled “Virginia—A Two-Party Dominion" and focused on common elements of how Republican and Democratic candidates have won gubernatorial elections since 2000, emphasizing themes such as education, jobs, health care, public safety, transportation, energy, and the environment.

“As I was interested in polarization, I thought this program would give me a great chance to explore solutions to division and polarization in society,” she said.

But first, Sihn needed to put in extra time to get herself up to speed on Virginia politics. “As the American political system and culture is quite different from the Korean ones, it was challenging to understand the unique sentiments and cultures that each region in Virginia has.”

Program speakers included former governors and lieutenant governors, policymakers, political strategists, data analysts, and journalists, who shared their experiences with the gubernatorial elections. Sihn even had the opportunity to ask Senator Tim Kaine how he and his team dealt with the divisive and polarized issues during his governorship.

Kaine told her: “Even though there is a person who has a different point of view from you, listen to it sincerely. This simple action helps to lower the temperature.”

“As a conflict scholar and a future practitioner, we will face so many issues or conflicts which are difficult to resolve and meet people with different understandings and interests,” Sihn said. “From his words, I realized it is important not to give up communication with people who have different opinions and views.”

^{“This [Sorensen] internship gave me a lot of insights and certainty in my vision to become a connector of people to resolve deep-rooted conflict in the Korean peninsula.”}

^{~ Yuhyun Sihn}

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On the Fast Track to a Master of Public Health

John Brandon Cantrell — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:39:57 +0000

On the Fast Track to a Master of Public Health John Brandon C… Mon, 03/07/2022 - 12:39

Master of Public Health student Nicole Sanz shares how the bachelor’s to accelerated master’s program has supported her goal of becoming an epidemiologist.

The bachelor’s to accelerated master’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program is a great opportunity for undergraduates that are committed to pursuing an advanced degree in public health. As an MPH student in the accelerated master’s program, Nicole Sanz is already ahead of the curve on her career path at a time when there is growing demand for public health professionals.

“I have felt challenged and motivated by the program, my professors, and my peers,” said Sanz on her experience studying public health at Mason. “While we have different concentrations and career goals, my peers and I all aspire to improve the health and well-being of the public. The public health field is growing and needs dedicated individuals to contribute to the most pressing public health problems.”

The accelerated master’s program allows highly motivated students to complete 12 credits (four courses) of advanced courses that “double-count” in both their undergraduate and graduate degree program. As a result, students in the program can earn their MPH degree in a shorter time. Sanz is in her first year of her master’s program and is set to graduate in December 2022.

Sanz dreams of being an epidemiologist and investigating infectious diseases in communities. So, when she expressed interest in a master’s degree to her academic advisor, he told her about the accelerated master’s program. “I was drawn to apply because of its financial benefits and the opportunity to experience graduate-level courses,” said Sanz. Students who pursue an accelerated pathway can reduce the overall cost of obtaining a master’s degree.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

In her program, Sanz has gained hands-on experience in academic research. Previously, she worked on a research project with former Assistant Professor Suzie Carmack where she helped research how micro-breaks in movement and mindfulness could reduce suicide risk. In a different pilot study, Sanz helped Carmack code and analyze data on a wellness training intervention. In the future, Sanz is interested in researching infectious diseases and global health solutions.

Off-campus, Sanz has continued to make an impact in her community. In September, she started an internship with Fairfax County Government. In this role, she’s had the opportunity to coordinate COVID-19 surveillance testing in addition to other health and wellness events for the county.

“Courses emphasizing social determinants of health, program implementation strategies, and epidemiological concepts helped prepare me for my internship,” said Sanz about how her degree program made her a great fit for the position.

The accelerated master's program is a unique experience that has given Sanz a variety of learning opportunities beyond the classroom. From conducting research alongside faculty to working directly in the community, the accelerated master's program is equipping her with the necessary skills to achieve a successful career as an epidemiologist.

For undergraduate students considering the accelerated master's program, Sanz suggests that students talk to their academic advisor first to see if the accelerated pathway is a good fit and to compare the benefits of the program and the non-accelerated pathway. She encourages them to speak with current accelerated master's students too.

Learn more about the fastest growing health care careers, including epidemiology.