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For this Costello senior, good business is a win-win

sholla4 — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:44:03 +0000

For this Costello senior, good business is a win-win sholla4 Thu, 05/07/2026 - 15:44

Senior Khaled Alkurd is ending his undergraduate career on a high note.

Photo provided

In the past few months, the Costello College of Business student won the Future Founders track at the 2026 Patriot Pitch for his company DealFax, an operational readiness assessment platform that helps business owners prepare for sale through their trusted advisors; got first place in the AGA’s National Datathon; and landed second place in the Management Consulted’s Case Competition World Cup out of 1,100 applicants. It’s a testament to his drive and track record in business, speeding up instead of slowing down as he approaches graduation.

As Alkurd prepares to cross the stage and dive fully into an MS in accounting with a focus on analytics and forensic accounting through the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s (BAM) pathway, he spoke about his undergraduate journey at George Mason and the importance of business as a force for good.

Choosing the Patriot path

George Mason is ranked highly for its internship availability and outcomes, and that was key for me. The connections that George Mason can afford students are very strong, with so many major companies: Amazon, Capital One, Deloitte, etc. Folks can sample from a few of them or build really deep relationships with one. The opportunity is unmatched.

As for why I chose accounting: a decade of operating my family’s home inspection business NextDay Inspect taught me that financials drive every meaningful decision in a business. I wanted to understand that language at depth, especially the analytical and forensic side. Beyond the technical work, I gravitate toward business as a force for good. Done well, business is win-win. People walk away better off than before they engaged.

A great place for internships

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ryan and Wetmore, Baker Tilly, and will be with PwC’s Deals practice this summer in Financial Due Diligence as I bridge into the MS program through BAM. The Office of Career Services in Costello has been amazing in their support. They reviewed my resume and cordoned off a private room for me to conduct Zoom interviews.

Overall, the support at George Mason is tremendous. It’s a big university, but it feels like a family. And Costello College of Business is really well equipped to deliver results, so there’s no expectations that are set that are not met. I’m very thankful for all the support.

Alkurd after receiving the Patriot Pitch Future Founders track award. Photo by John Boal Photography

From classroom to community

I am particularly proud of the work we’ve done through Beta Alpha Psi Theta Alpha, the accounting honors organization, for which I served as president this past year. We’ve been able to engage with the community through volunteering with the Junior Achievement Finance Park, where we’ve reached 960 eighth-grade students through teaching early financial literacy. Not only have I seen our volunteers grow as leaders and take ownership of those trainings, but I think learning how to educate and craft the message of finance in a way that is tailored for the audience is an incredibly important skill we improve through this work.

Fighting fires while forging skills

I joined Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company in 2008 when I was 16 and served for three and a half years. Now, I’m in the final stages of joining Sterling Volunteer Fire Company.

The job rewires how you think. Each scenario drops you into a chaotic situation and teaches you to stop reacting and start reading the room to figure out what is a priority and what can wait. On a call, you learn to gather information fast, communicate clearly, and trust the people next to you. Both those skills carry into how I approach client work.

Advice for the next generation of George Mason Patriots

Start early. There are experiences you can only get as freshmen and sophomores, like early pathway programs or externships. There’s so much you’ll miss by not engaging in student organizations; it’s an entirely different conversation than in the classroom, and it’s one you don’t want to miss out on because it’s helping with that connection to additional opportunity.

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Learning experience design course helps students dive head-first into client consulting

sholla4 — Wed, 06 May 2026 17:26:55 +0000

Learning experience design course helps students dive head-first into client consulting sholla4 Wed, 05/06/2026 - 13:26

Learning doesn’t stop when you finish school. Whenever you start a new job or a new program, you learn new rules, new strategies, and new systems. And just like classroom education, there’s science behind how that learning can be best supported.

Lisa Giacumo. Photo provided.

“Large multinational or national organizations need people with knowledge of how people learn and how to create systems and supports for learning and development,” explained Lisa Giacumo, associate professor of learning design and technology in 91��’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Learning experience design (LXD) and user experience (UX) research are two key pillars of the CEHD’s learning design and technology master’s program. Giacumo has spent her faculty career developing courses on accessible workplace learning, needs assessment, and evaluation, that merge theory with hands-on application to give students a “nuanced” understanding of real-world use cases. The research and design courses (i.e., EDIT 732 and EDIT 752) she leads currently pair students with live clients to develop solutions for LXD problems or new opportunities.

“The recursive loop of asking for input, getting feedback, professional reflection, and making revisions is an important part of the process that is hard to conceptualize from textbook alone,” said Giacumo. “With live clients, students get a chance to see how things might work outside of a textbook while learning how to communicate as a consultant.”

This semester, students worked with two startups: EMK Learning Solutions LLC and Research Sphere.

“Working with a live client and a team really made the whole experience feel more like a UX job. You have deadlines, you have limitations, you have to make decisions and iterate. It feels very realistic,” said George Mason alumna Georgiana Patrichi-Abarca, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’15, a current student in the learning design and technology master’s program. She’s been able to apply what she’s learned in class to her full-time job with the U.S. Department of State, developing training for a new piece of software.

Master’s student Tyler Girvan came into the learning design and technology program with a background in video game design and graphic design. “Getting that practical experience from research inception to executing a prototype was the stand-out element of the course for me,” said Girvan. “It helped me understand where I can feed my past skills through these new filters.”

Girvan continued, “You have to balance meeting the needs of the user while negotiating the ideas and goals of the client, and that’s a skill we were able to develop working with real clients as opposed to simulations."

“The closer you connect what you do in the learning environment to what you need done in the performance environment, the easier it is for learners to transfer what they learned into desired performance on the job,” said Giacumo.

Maurine Kwende, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’15, CERG Learning Technologies ’15, and PhD Education ’23, is the founder and CEO of EMK Learning Solutions LLC, one of the participating businesses for the course. Her business works with companies to help improve their training and leadership capabilities, leveraging Kwende’s own expertise in learning systems and design. This semester, students worked on developing a professional development chatbot for EMK Learning Solutions that could coach employees when a human coach and trainer isn’t available or isn’t an option. The bot will also be a thinking and brainstorming partner for new employees to get a head start on ideas prior to meeting with their supervisors or stakeholders.

Kwende found the commitment of the students in the course commendable. “They’re dedicated and passionate about our field,” she said. “In the beginning, it felt like a mentoring process ,which was very exciting. Then it became a two-way process: I mentored them as a consultant, and they reverse-mentored me in the areas of technology. In the end, the students helped expand my thinking and showed me the potential of the product. They grew a seed into a full tree.”

“George Mason attracts many very talented, smart, and driven individuals,” said Giacumo. “These students contribute to these organizations’ success stories. And after the classes are over, my students build their own success stories by landing their next job or promotion and continue developing their consulting practices on a solid foundation.”

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Goldwater Scholar Sofie Strompf is finding art in science

sholla4 — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:29:15 +0000

Goldwater Scholar Sofie Strompf is finding art in science sholla4 Wed, 05/06/2026 - 10:29

Left brained vs right brained, analytical vs creative: Art and science are often placed on opposite ends of the spectrum, two disciplines at war with one another. But for Sofie Strompf, Honors College student, neuroscience major, and recipient of a prestigious 2026 Goldwater Scholarship, the divide between the two is more a matter of perspective.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Strompf was a member of the Mason Nation long before beginning her undergraduate career. As a regular student, and then assistant administrator, at Acting for Young People through Mason Community Arts Academy, she developed a deep passion for theatre.

Strompf entered George Mason ready to take the stage. Initially a technical theater major, she was inspired by a literature review project in HNRS 110 Principles of Research and Inquiry to consider a different path.

“Because of my experiences with my dynamic disability [hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome], I was really interested in familial dysautonomia, a rare genetic condition that causes severe, degenerative dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, so I chose that as my topic,” she said. “I had never had a chance to research like this before. My literature review was way over the top for anything I needed to write, because I was so interested in the topic.”

Strompf reached out to Ali Andalibi, previous senior associate dean for research for the College of Science, for mentorship as she explored the possibilities in more research-focused pathways. During her second year at Mason, she completed research with Andalibi with the support of an Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) grant from George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) and interned at the Medical University of South Carolina. These experiences affirmed her love of science and research, and she transitioned to the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience.

“Research is just identifying a problem and coming up with a way to look at that problem from a bunch of different angles to understand it better and thinking outside the box to solve it. That in itself is a creative process,” she said. “So I think that having this background in creative arts and humanities has actually made me a better researcher from the start.”

With her love of research, Strompf’s academic career has developed as much in the lab as in the classroom. Under the guidance of Professor Lance Liotta and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Marissa Howard, she’s been supporting and developing research projects in the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) for the past four years. Last year, her work in the lab was supported by an National Institutes of Health Diversity Supplemental research grant. This grant bolstered her experiences in the lab, leading her to develop her own hypothesis regarding secretory mitophagy (a new process of cellular mitochondrial recycling discovered by CAPMM researchers) as it relates to neurodegenerative disease. She hopes to continue research related to this hypothesis as a PhD student after graduating in 2027.

Strompf delivering a presentation. Photo provided.

There’s another angle to Strompf’s work as well: advocacy and policy. “I’m trying to be part of this movement of young, early career scientists and researchers who really want to share all these cool new discoveries with the public and the world,” she said.

For her, that includes outreach work as part of the Nexus234 Innovation District, teaching local elementary, middle, and high school students about cells during Nanotechnology Day and other community events; serving as a mentor for the Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP); and mentoring other undergraduate students as an OSCAR Peer Leader.

She also actively advocates through her positions on the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) Disabilities Access to Higher Education Advisory Committee, Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), and the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP).

“I’ve worked closely with a lot of SCHEV staff to talk about disability policy and draft policy recommendations, as well as lobbying and meeting state representatives to share why inclusion and accessibility matter,” she said.

Receiving a Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes students with the potential to be the next generation of research leaders, is a true testament to her dedication and perseverance.

Megan Bruening, director of the Office of Fellowship, said, “it has been our pleasure to work with Sofie and watch her grow over the course of her undergraduate career at Mason. Her intellectual curiosity, impressive work ethic, and determination to serve others makes her stand out as a promising STEM researcher.”

“Often, there is hardly any representation in science for students with disabilities, and it can be hard not to feel alone or unwelcome,” Strompf said. “Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is especially meaningful in this context, as I feel like it validates both my place in science and that of other students with disabilities. Despite the challenges I have faced, a team of accomplished, established scientists believes in me and my potential to contribute meaningfully to my field.”

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In both business and BMX courses, Cutter Williams' grit shines through

sholla4 — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:02:21 +0000

In both business and BMX courses, Cutter Williams' grit shines through sholla4 Tue, 04/28/2026 - 11:02

From business to BMX, 91�� student Cutter Williams has been carving his own path since his first race on the track.

Cutter Williams. Photo by Nico van Dartel

BMX (bicycle motorcross) is a form of bicycle racing where competitors race simultaneously through a challenging course of banked turns, jumps, hills, and rollers (small hills that can’t be jumped). A lap around the track takes about 30-40 seconds, and, according to Williams, is “like a roller coaster.”

Williams, hailing from Great Falls, Virginia, got his first taste of that thrill when he was 7 and a friend invited him to a BMX track on a competition day. Williams already had plenty of miles under his mountain bike wheels by then. BMX, though, was “magic.” One of the managers saw him on the course before the competition and encouraged him to sign up for the race.

He won.

He’s been chasing that gold ever since.

“By first or second grade, I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete,” Williams said. “It was just one of those times when you just know it’s going to happen.”

He was right. In 2024, Williams won the national championship, pushing his way up from third place to take the race at the stripe. He won bronze at the 2026 national championship. Now, he’s got his eyes on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

Trophies and medals aren’t the only prizes on Williams’ mind. He’s also racing toward a degree in finance from Costello College of Business, taking online courses between training and competitions.

Photo provided

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in numbers and data,” he said. “Business 100, that first class in the curriculum, really just sealed the deal for me that this is what I wanted to do.”

Being a professional athlete is a full-time job. Williams puts in six days a week of training between conditioning and riding the track. But school, he says, always comes first.

“BMX will take you far, but you can only do BMX for so long," he said.

Williams is taking advantage of the breadth of courses offered at George Mason to support his career. He's taken nutrition courses to learn to optimize his diet for training and racing. After traveling to Argentina, Colombia, and Chile for races, he signed up for Spanish courses to be able to better experience the culture next time he races there.

“It’s easy to be integrated into school while also balancing a career,” Williams said. “The way the classes are set up, how easy it is to log in and check my Mason pathway: It’s so accessible. And my professors have been very welcoming and supportive of my career.”

Qualifications for the Olympics begin at the end of this year. Williams hopes to seal World Cup and World Championship wins to get one of the coveted Team USA spots. But like he said: School comes first. He’s hoping to spend the summer before the Olympics in an internship.

“George Mason has just been really great,” he said. “I’m thankful I can still do what I love while preparing for the future.”

Williams, right, after winning bronze at the 2026 national championship. Photo provided.

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When students compete to help local organizations solve problems, everybody wins

sholla4 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:52:08 +0000

When students compete to help local organizations solve problems, everybody wins sholla4 Wed, 04/15/2026 - 11:52

Bright and early on a Saturday in February, every table in Fenwick Library’s Reading Room is packed. Some of 91��’s most driven students are about to begin a rigorous five-hour competition in partnership with local organizations. For them, it’s the perfect way to spend the weekend. And for the Honors College, it’s a chance to show what the honors learning experience is all about: engaging multidisciplinary perspectives, asking questions that matter, and making a difference through civic engagement.

Honors College Challenge Day brings teams of students together to solve strategic challenges for corporate and nonprofit partners. Challenge Day fits into the Honors College’s wider ecosystem of professional development opportunities, as a condensed version of their Honors College Connects and Honors College Consults courses. The quickfire nature of the challenge helps build critical thinking, research, presentation, and teamwork skills, as well as being a great networking opportunity for students.

Photo by Dan Luaces

“We wanted a high impact, low time-commitment experience beyond the curriculum for all George Mason students to gain valuable skills while contributing, connecting, and learning from the community,” said Melanie Fedri, assistant professor and experiential learning coordinator in the Honors College.

For each Challenge Day, the Honors College typically selects one corporate and one nonprofit partner to participate. They work with each organization to create a challenge statement: what their strategic challenge is and what the constraints are. On the day of the challenge, participating students select their track: corporate or nonprofit. They are then grouped into teams to tackle the selected partner’s challenge. Each team has half a day to come up with a solution and present their findings to a panel of George Mason alumni and leaders from the participating organizations. A winning solution is selected from each track.

“I think it’s so enriching to participate in these types of extracurriculars that leverage what you’re learning in class in a way that impacts the community,” said Costello College of Business and Honors College senior Vidhi Pathak. Pathak works for the Honors College as the external partner experience officer. She has been instrumental in shaping the recent iterations of Challenge Day, from developing the corporate track to creating the competitive structure.

“In today’s competitive job market, students want real-world experiences and collaborations with real clients that they can put on their resumes to make them stand out among other applicants,” said Pathak. “And our partners want outside perspectives on their strategic challenges to find novel and innovative solutions. It’s a win-win.”

For nonprofit partners, who may be working under tighter budgeting and staffing constraints than their corporate counterparts, Challenge Day is an opportunity for consulting that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Due to an overwhelming response from nonprofit partners, Honors College Challenge Day for spring 2026 focused on nonprofits. Six organizations were selected and assigned one team each, with all six teams competing against one another for two prizes: the most innovative solution and the most actionable solution.

One of this semester’s winning teams worked with Britepaths, a local organization that provides food, financial assistance and education, and workforce development to Northern Virginia residents in economic crisis. Their challenge was how to further grow and promote their in-house library space for young readers.

“Participating in Honors College Challenge Day gave Britepaths valuable insight from the next generation of changemakers, as students brought fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that we look forward to implementing," said Cora Lundgren, food security and youth programs manager for Britepaths.

From left: Nora Rideg (Honors College student mentor), Zahra Hashemi, Neda Sellidji, and Naomi Fetene. Photo by Dan Luaces

Naomi Fetene, a freshman neuroscience major in the Honors College, and Zahra Hashemi, a freshman biology major in the Honors College, both participated in Challenge Day in fall 2025. They returned in spring as part of the Britepaths team, along with freshman neuroscience major Neda Sellidj.

“I wanted to participate because it felt like we’d be making a real difference for the organization,” said Sellidj.

Using skills learned in their courses like affinity mapping to define the problem and organize their ideas, the group developed high-, medium-, and low-effort solutions for Britepaths within their budgetary constraints: book donation drives, text message campaigns, incentivized summer reading challenges, and community events. Their thorough and creative planning won the prize for “most actionable recommendation.”

“Even more fulfilling than winning was when each sponsor stood up and said their thoughts on our presentation, and they told us that our solution would make an impact and be implemented,” said Hashemi.

“You leave the day having helped a community and refining your skills in communication, team building, and time management,” said Fetene, “and you can make new friends!”

“Events like this bring intellectually curious and passionate students from various backgrounds and majors together to make an impact,” said Pathak. “It’s really empowering.”

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Doctoral student brings teacher well-being to the front of the class with dissertation research

sholla4 — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:42:07 +0000

Doctoral student brings teacher well-being to the front of the class with dissertation research sholla4 Tue, 03/24/2026 - 11:42

Teacher well-being has been a persistent issue in education, and the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point, intensifying existing challenges and highlighting the need for greater support. A 2025 RAND report on the State of American Teachers found that teachers were more likely to report experiencing poor well-being across all indicators than their peers in other fields, with 53% reporting feeling burned out. And as teacher and administrator resignation rates remain above pre-pandemic levels, education is reaching a critical juncture.

Megan Sharkey. Photo provided.

Megan Sharkey, a doctoral student in educational psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at 91��, is hoping her research on teacher well-being will give districts and divisions the insights needed to get teachers the support they need.

Prior to coming to George Mason, Sharkey taught elementary, special education, and early childhood education for almost 20 years. Across public, charter, and private schools from the Bronx in New York City to New Orleans and Northern Virginia, Sharkey's experiences teaching across varied geographical settings, demographics, and school systems shaped her approach to research.

“She’s unique in that not only does she have the knowledge of where we are and where we’re headed from a research perspective, but she also has the practical, firsthand understanding of how teacher well-being implicates the lives of many educators across different settings and systems,” said Betsy Levine-Brown, associate professor of education and Sharkey’s dissertation chair.

As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on, Sharkey’s experiences teaching under increasingly challenging conditions helped narrow her research interests to teacher well-being.

“I just felt like our story [as teachers] during COVID-19 wasn’t being told,” she said. “We value education. We work hard for the best outcomes for our students and families. At times, that goes unnoticed, and I wish our world valued the work of educators more.”

Now, she’s hoping her dissertation research will help educators, administrators, and schools better understand where wellness support is needed. With funding from the American Education Research Association (AERA) Stress, Coping, and Resilience Special Interest Group (SIG), Sharkey is working with a large school division in Northern Virginia to examine teacher, school, and organizational well-being efforts with a focus on elevating teachers’ voices to better understand and address comprehensive educator well-being resources and supports.

Sharkey’s research aims to answer two main questions: how are teachers’ well-being perceptions shaped by organizational policies and supports, and in what ways do teachers explain their well-being in relation to their daily work experiences? This includes looking at district- and administrative-level supports for educators, as well as surveying and interviewing teachers to understand how they experience and interpret their well-being across personal, professional, and organizational domains. It’s an approach that allows Sharkey to look at the layers of impact, from the macro level of administration to the micro level of one-on-one teacher/student interaction.

“Administrators want to build the workforce, and they want teaching to be a sustainable career path. Turnover is hard, and turnover is expensive,” said Sharkey. “And retaining teachers begins with understanding working conditions and why teachers leave the profession.”

Sharkey noted that recent research on teacher well-being shows how it can have a big impact on school culture and student achievement. Like with any job, employee satisfaction improves workplace climate. In schools, these effects can extend into the classroom, as a more positive school climate has been associated with a range of student outcomes, including engagement, attendance, and academic performance. When teachers are supported with the conditions they need to show up as their best selves, students benefit.

“This type of research is at the intersection of scholarship, policy, and applied practice and will have a real contribution to the daily lives of education professionals and the organizational structures of our school divisions,” said Levine-Brown.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the research practice partnerships I’ve built during this process,” said Sharkey. “Through them, there’s real opportunity for this research to have direct impacts on Northern Virginia educators.”

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This student is tasting start-up success with a meal delivery service for seniors

sholla4 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:33:08 +0000

This student is tasting start-up success with a meal delivery service for seniors sholla4 Mon, 03/23/2026 - 13:33

Starting a business is a delicate task. Even if you get the measurements just right, without a dash of innovation, a sprinkle of luck, and a heaping spoonful of courage, it’s likely to go straight from the oven to the bin.

Zachary Suh prepares food in the College of Public Health's Nutrition Kitchen. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Zachary Suh, however, is mastering the recipe.

Suh, a marketing major in the Costello College of Business, member of the Honors College, and a University Scholar at 91��, founded HomePlate, formerly Elderly Eats, in his sophomore year. It’s a meal service for seniors that provides medically thoughtful and culturally relevant meals made fresh and delivered right to their doorstep.

The idea first took root during COVID-19 lockdowns, when Suh’s grandmother moved in with the family as her Alzheimer’s reached late-stage. “My mom, who is a George Mason professor, became her full-time caregiver,” he said. "Caregiving takes a huge physical and emotional toll. I wanted to help her in any way I could.”

Leaning into his love for cooking, Suh took over making all the meals for his family: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He discovered that his grandmother was most interested in Korean food. “Even with her cognitive decline, you could tell she enjoyed those meals much more,” he said.

This discovery led him to another: a major gap in senior food delivery. “At one point, we looked into meal service for seniors, but we couldn’t find anything that did culturally relevant meals,” he said.

Suh is familiar with start-ups: his older brother, Jeremy Suh, founded an AI company while in college. “He’s a big inspiration for me, very much my mentor,” Suh said. “We talked about this idea for a food delivery service, about how I could bring this onto a larger scale.”

And from those conversations, Suh was encouraged to apply for the 2024 Patriot Pitch competition, hosted by Costello College of Business. HomePlate won first place in the General Entrepreneurship Track and was selected as a Mason’s Choice Award Prize winner, earning Suh $7,000 to start turning his idea into reality.

“From the very outset, what impressed me most about Zach was his unwavering commitment to helping caregivers and seniors by providing them with nutritious, culturally relevant meals that could be consumed at home,” said Jerry Pierce, MBA ’92, a retired KPMG partner and professor of accounting at Costello. “His passion for helping others is always on full display and was a big reason the audience selected him for the Mason’s Choice Award.”

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Previously, HomePlate provided meal plans with an in-house demonstration of meal prep. Now, they’re transitioning to a fresh meal delivery service. Suh works with a registered dietician to craft meals that meet the variety of dietary and health needs of senior populations, such as diabetic restrictions, sodium control, low cholesterol, and general wellness. During the pilot program in March, HomePlate focused on Korean meals with hopes to expand to other cuisines in late 2026.

For Suh, now a junior at George Mason, this shift lets him get back to doing what he loves: cooking. He is making all the meals from scratch in partnership with Kitchen of Purpose in Arlington. “You’ll see me at every stage,” he said. “In the grocery store, in the kitchen, delivering the meals, and then taking the trash out after.”

Being both a student and a business owner is certainly a balancing act. Suh said that it wouldn't be possible without the phenomenal support from George Mason. Costello’s Office of Career Services and Jeremy Plotnick, director of minor programs for Costello, have been key supporters. Plotnick mentored Suh and helped him register his work on the business as an internship, allowing him to prepare for the relaunch while earning academic credit toward his degree. Working in the MIX incubator connected him to student and alumni entrepreneurs. Professors have offered advice. Even while studying abroad at Mason Korea, he was able to network and pitch his business through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as attend a one-week accelerator program in Australia.

“I don’t think you get this level of care and mentorship at other universities,” Suh said. “Being a George Mason student gives you access to this unparalleled network of professionals who have so much knowledge."

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Cross-college collaboration helps George Mason dancers stay ready for the stage

sholla4 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:44:40 +0000

Cross-college collaboration helps George Mason dancers stay ready for the stage sholla4 Thu, 03/12/2026 - 13:44

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

As the athletic trainer for the George Mason School of Dance, Jena Hansen-Honeycutt is one of the first to notice when something’s not quite right. So when she started seeing an influx in injuries among dance students, she approached College of Education and Human Development professor of athletic training Jatin Ambegaonkar and then-student Kelley Wiese, PhD Kinesiology ’25, hoping to find a solution.

Dancers are “aesthetic athletes,” meaning they have the high workloads and high injury rates like traditional athletes. “They dance for at least three hours a day in classroom practice alone,” said Hansen-Honeycutt. “And that doesn’t account for their extracurricular work: rehearsals, choreography, or additional practice.”

And like athletes, the dancers are also trying to balance heavy physical demands with their classes, sleep schedules, dietary needs, and social lives.

Despite this, dancers are often medically underserved.

“The blend of artistry and athleticism separates them from traditional athletes, yet they have the same physical demands often without a dedicated medical team to support them,” explained Ambegaonkar.

In exploring data collection opportunities to help answer Hansen-Honeycutt's inquiry, Wiese found that workload monitoring—common for traditional athletes—was underutilized in dance. And because fatigue is the number one self-reported cause of injury in dancers, she thought this would be the best place to start.

“We can recognize there’s a correlation between fatigue and injury, but you need data in order to make a stronger case for implementing cultural and systemic changes,” said Wiese. Wiese, a trained dancer and now an assistant professor of athletic training at Shenandoah University, worked with Ambegaonkar during her doctoral program at George Mason on various studies at the intersection of kinesiology and dance.

Dancers were given wrist-worn biosensors to wear 24 hours a day for seven days. They repeated the study four times throughout the semester. “We wanted to understand the cycles of the body breaking down and recovering as workload increased and decreased throughout their semester,” explained Ambegaonkar.

Participating students were also given surveys to provide subjective perceptions of their workload, sleep habits, and energy levels.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Reviewing the data, Wiese found that at peak times throughout the semester, students were spending more than seven hours a day completing moderate to vigorous physical activity between class, rehearsals, practice, and choreographing. As a result, energy levels decreased and fatigue increased, indicating a need for integrated recovery times and programs.

Another key finding from this study was the dissonance between students’ perceived sleep and the biosensor data. While students self-reported great and sufficient sleep, the biosensors reported insufficient sleep.

“Over time, insufficient sleep can lead to difficulty recovering and therefore higher rates of injury,” said Wiese. “Particularly when they’re already struggling to recover.”

As a result, the research team worked together to develop what Ambegaonkar calls “micro-interventions” through improved sleep health education programs to help students become aware of the issue and develop better sleep habits. Hansen-Honeycutt has created sleep health resources for students around the impacts of good sleep on their academic and physical performance and is working with the faculty to incorporate this messaging into their classrooms.

“It’s so important to have this collaborative, teamwork approach with dance faculty, because they’re setting the culture in their program or in their studio. They will be the ones imparting these changes,” said Wiese.

“This study proved to me that us dance majors are extremely active, more than I often realize!” said senior dance major Sanaa Fairley. “I learned that I could develop a much more consistent sleep schedule to set up my space and therefore my mind, in a healthy way each day to prepare for rest.” Fairley has implemented other recovery techniques, such as cold showers, into her routine as well because of the study.

Senior dance major T’aja Williams also reported improved sleep hygiene through a consistent bedtime, as well as making her more aware of how academic, socio-emotional, and physical activities impact her schedule and technology use. “This study allowed me to see where potential pockets of homework, rest, social media engagement, and phone calls can take place and making active decisions regarding where and when is healthiest for each activity,” she said.

Building good habits now will help George Mason dance students have long and fulfilling careers in dance. And Ambegaonkar and Wiese think this study might help pave the way for further research into the physical demands and impacts of dance.

“I think George Mason is a pioneer in the field of dance medicine,” said Ambegaonkar. “We’re broadening the scope of what kinesiology is in the public health domain and what it can do in the public health domain.”

Jena Hansen-Honeycutt (top left), Kelley Wiese (top center), and Jatin Ambegaonkar (top left) with dance students. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

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