scholarship

School of Nursing offers its first full scholarship thanks to generous donor support

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:54:21 +0000

School of Nursing offers its first full scholarship thanks to generous donor support Taylor Thomas Mon, 04/20/2026 - 11:54

The support of donors has life-changing impacts for 91�� students. An incredible show of generosity by an anonymous donor will provide full scholarship support for an undergraduate student enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the College of Public Health’s School of Nursing. The Dr. Barry and Velma Berkey Endowed Scholarship will cover tuition for an entire academic year. This is the first full scholarship at the College of Public Health.

“We are profoundly grateful for the generosity of our donors, whose support has transformative effects on the lives of our students. This extraordinary gift will enable deserving Bachelor of Science in Nursing students to pursue their education without the burden of tuition,” said Dean Melissa Perry. “Such acts of kindness and commitment to education not only honor the legacy of Dr. Barry and Velma Berkey but also inspire our students to strive for excellence and make a meaningful impact in the field of public health and beyond. To our donors, thank you for believing in the power of education and for investing in the future leaders of health care.”

The scholarship was established to honor the late Barry Berkey and his wife, Velma Berkey. Berkey was a well-known psychiatrist, author, and the first clinical director of the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute before he began his long-standing private practice. The first scholarship will be awarded in the fall 2026 semester to a full-time, in-state student who demonstrates high academic performance (minimum 3.5 GPA) and financial need.

The college extends thanks to all our generous donors.

Learn more about how you can give to the College of Public Health at 91��.

In This Story

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS, MBA

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CPH scholarship

CPH - School of Nursing

bachelor of science in nursing

College of Public Health

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Mason Now: Power the Possible

Students

Mason ECE graduate student gets SMART

Rena Malai — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 17:00:59 +0000

Mason ECE graduate student gets SMART Rena Malai Tue, 07/05/2022 - 13:00

Getting a Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship isn’t easy, but it’s a gainful step toward building a career of growth, enrichment, and opportunities within the U.S. government.

Sabrina Stenberg sees the SMART scholarship as a way to maximize her graduate studies at George Mason while remaining employed as a chemical engineer with the Department of Defense (DoD). Through the scholarship, Stenberg can focus on her master of science in electrical engineering at Mason full-time.

Stenberg says the scholarship is funded by DoD with the aim of attracting and retaining people into STEM careers at the government level.

“I am really happy to win this scholarship,” says Stenberg. “This way I can finish in three more semesters and make the most of the experience, connecting with other students and my professors.”

Stenberg, a Northern Virginia native, says the scholarship is not a one stop source of money. Rather, it requires commitment and accountability so anyone thinking of applying should be prepared.

“People should be mindful that this scholarship does have conditions,” says Stenberg. “You will be expected to commit to your program of study, keep up your grades, and agree to fulfill the one-to-one scholarship for service time commitment with DoD for every year of funded study. Any withdrawals can result in penalties, like paying back your tuition.”

She feels the conditions are worth it, as it will open up the doors to plenty of great job opportunities.

“In my current job, I became more interested in electronics and I decided to combine that interest by studying control and robotics,” says Stenberg. “It’s a valuable area to learn about as there are a lot of autonomous systems within the military.”

Although Stenberg was already employed by DoD, anyone interested in SMART does not have to be employed before applying. Potential applicants do need to be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, have a high GPA, and be able to accept employment with DoD after graduating.

The SMART program, part of the DoD science, technology, engineering, and mathematics portfolio provides STEM students with the tools needed to pursue higher education and begin a rewarding career with the DoD. Scholarship winners can receive full tuition as well as a stipend and full-time employment after graduation.

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Electrical Engineering

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Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center

2021 Katona Scholarship recognizes stand out bioengineering students

Rena Malai — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:49:29 +0000

2021 Katona Scholarship recognizes stand out bioengineering students Rena Malai Mon, 11/15/2021 - 14:49

In This Story

From left, Dr. Peter Katona, Inas Zabin, and Michael

Buschmann, Mason bioengineering

department chair and professor

Recognizing and motivating bioengineering students to help the community in the field of bioengineering is a big part of what the Katona Scholarship for Excellence in Bioengineering is about, according to Claudia Borke, advisor for the bioengineering department at Mason.

“This is a scholarship that recognizes not only bioengineering excellence, but looks at the student holistically,” says Borke.

Named for Dr. Peter Katona, founder of the bioengineering program at Mason, the scholarship awarded $1,000 to 2021 winner Inas Zabin, a Mason senior whose education combines bioengineering with a concentration in pre-health.

“Winning the scholarship gave me the little bit of extra push that I needed, and I’m very grateful,” says Zabin. “There are so many qualified people in the bioengineering department. But if you’re thinking of applying for the scholarship, just go for it.”

According to Katona, the students selected for the scholarship show exceptional promise to engage in a successful bioengineering career, which in turn helps society.

“We certainly look at GPA, and it’s a part of the criteria for the scholarship, but it’s not all we see,” says Katona. “We also look at a student’s leadership skills and how they have tried to enhance their skills outside of the classroom.”

Showing an initiative to help other students is also an example of leadership that is a welcome asset for a potential scholarship winner, says Katona.

“We have had some excellent applicants, and we are delighted that we can do this for our bioengineering students showing exceptional promise,” he says.

The Katona Scholarship for Excellence in Bioengineering began in 2015, and is awarded to bioengineering seniors at Mason who show excellence across their academic performance, leadership initiatives, and career aspirations that aim to support society at large.

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Geo. Mason Wines raises a glass to student scholarships

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 20:58:45 +0000

Geo. Mason Wines raises a glass to student scholarships Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 01/29/2021 - 15:58

Step into a local Total Wine or Whole Foods store and you may be surprised to find George Mason among the wine bottles on the shelves. Sporting a colonial hat with a modern pair of shades, he’s the face of 91��’s private wine label.

Geo. Mason Wines is more than a classy addition to dinner. It’s also been generating scholarship funding for Mason students since 2018.

Here are 10 facts about its history:

1. It started with an alum…

Terri Cofer Beirne, BA Government and Politics ’88, knows a lot about wine. The chair of the 91�� Foundation Board of Trustees is a lawyer for the California wine industry and serves as Eastern Counsel for Wine Institute. When Foundation members were looking for additional revenue streams for student scholarships, she was inspired to create a Mason-branded beverage. So, she pulled together a group of volunteers from the Board of Trustees, the Board of Visitors, faculty and staff to get started.

Manu Gaiarin. Photo provided.

2. …with a little help from a former Mason soccer coach.

Manu Gaiarin, owner of Siema Wines and a former assistant coach for Mason’s men’s soccer team, partnered with the university as the supplier.

“I was happy to get involved due to my legacy to Mason,” said Gaiarin, who said he coached at Mason for six years in the 1990s and has a son who currently attends Mason. “We carefully selected the wine to be an exceptional good value for the price point, and we’re very proud that we had Mason students help us develop the final package.”

3. It’s student-centered.

“The best part of the whole process is that $3.50 from the sale of every bottle goes to student scholarships,” Beirne said.

Since 2018, Geo. Mason Wines has sold about 700 cases of wine and contributed approximately $29,000 to student scholarships.

And scholarships aren’t the only ways students have benefited.

4. It inspired some healthy competition.

After the name Geo. Mason was selected, a competition was held among teams of Mason art students to design the label, Beirne said.

“That was really fun to see how creative and clever these students were with their ideas,” she said, adding that some designs were contemporary and funky, while others were graceful and natural. “We settled on one hand drawn by a student with George in sunglasses, just to make him contemporary and reveal him as something different than expected.”

A second student group competed with their peers to help with the marketing plan. In addition to gaining experiential learning through the project, students from the design and marketing groups whose work was selected each received a $250 cash prize, Beirne said.

Mason students in Advertising Design worked on a branding campaign for Geo. Mason Wines. Photo by Alexa Rogers

5. What’s in a name?

Papers in colonial times often abbreviated names to save on ink, and “Geo.” hearkens back to this tradition. It also served as a way to avoid legal challenges that could have arisen with intellectual property protections of “George Mason” or “GMU,” Beirne said.

A bottle of Geo. Mason Chardonnay at the 50th Anniversary GMU Alumni Gala at Eagle Bank Arena in 2018. Photo Credit: John Boal Photography

6. Vino for all.

Unlike other universities with branded beverages priced upwards of $50, the Mason team wanted their brand to be high quality, but accessible. Mason’s two wines come in at about $20 a bottle.

7. From coast to coast.

The wine is sourced from California, despite a bubbling Virginia wine industry. Because Virginia wineries sell most of their wines in their tasting rooms, the team decided to go out-of-state to find a winery with the volume and experience of making private label brands, Beirne said.

8. It was years in the making.

“It took a good three years from throwing ideas around to actually getting wine in a bottle,” Beirne said. “It was a labor of love from a lot of people.”

The team agrees that the results were worth it, and they’re proud that the project is a way to give back.

9. What’s next for Geo. Mason?

“In the near future, we’re trying to increase the number of wines under the Geo. Mason brand,” Gaiarin said, adding that they currently have a Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.