Greg Johnson

Emerging Business Leader Award recipient Kimberly Biscoe chose Mason's MBA program to help her take her career to the next level.

Through working in a variety of career fields and organizations, Dewberry CIO Lisa Roger, MBA ’20, discovered the tasks and responsibilities that she enjoys most, leading her to the peak of her industry.

Part of the reason why John Jin chose Mason was to alleviate financial burdens. Receiving the Emerging Business Leader Award scholarship is a major boost in that effort.

The Honey Bee Initiative and the Sweet Virginia Foundation are kindred spirits in educating about the importance of the honeybee in an effort to make the world a better place. 

Mason alum Alaleh Jenkins, acting assistant secretary for the United States Navy, shared her keys for success in a fireside chat with School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé.

In late October 2022, Latifa Sharifi and her three sons reached the safety of American soil after evading Taliban pursuit for more than a year. The acclaimed human rights attorney had been placed at the top of the Taliban’s kill list, following the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in September 2021. For more than a year, she lived in a purgatory marked by narrow escapes by mere seconds and minutes, followed by seemingly endless stretches of anguish and uncertainty. When she finally walked through the arrivals gate and into the loving embrace of family at the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, her back bowed and her emotions flowed. The bright lights of the terminal were a welcome end to a year spent hiding in the shadows and living in the dark. Her sons were her focus, her faith was her foundation, and an international team of relative strangers had been her lifeline.

As a graduate of a local high school, Victor Kolbay, BS Accounting ’15, was familiar with George Mason University long before he registered for his first course. Choosing to live on campus for the first year, he became immersed in the culture, loving every moment of it, including his participation in the Green Machine, Mason’s renowned pep band. Of course, he enjoyed his classes and learned a lot, but the rest of his Mason experience was just as fulfilling. Kolbay, now an accounting manager at Logenix International, holds dear to his heart the events, buildings, faculty members, and hangout spots that made his student experience so special. 

Never one to back down from a challenge, Alaleh Jenkins, BS Accounting ’97, immigrated to the United States as a teenager without speaking any English. As a student at George Mason University, she enrolled in basic English classes and quickly became fluent in English while also excelling in her other courses. Focused on academics as well as adjusting to and succeeding in a new country, she took advantage of Mason’s job fairs, landing a job at a major CPA firm after graduation.  “I got a lot of tough love at my first job and I will be forever grateful to my employer for pushing me out of my comfort zone,” Jenkins says.

“The foundation for the success that I’m experiencing today came from my Mason education,” says Jason Chesky, BS Finance ’12. To help current George Mason University finance students build foundations of their own, he established the Jason M. Chesky Endowed Scholarship. Knowing full-well how challenging the cost of higher education can be to some, and the barriers it can create, Chesky wanted to make things a little easier for students and allow them the opportunity to  focus on their education.

Despite living and working in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Michael VanPatten, MBA ’90, never lost touch with Mason. Immediately receptive to post-graduation calls from the alumni relations team, he was eager to connect with alumni and assist students in attaining an MBA. The positive experience he had at Mason, with instructors who had working knowledge in the areas they were teaching, encouraged his continued engagement.