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Gabriella Grabovska came to the United States in 2022 just after Russia invaded her homeland of Ukraine. The Kyiv native’s first visit to the United States was as a 911���� student in the Schar School of Policy and Government. Now, four years later, she’s leaving with ambition, experience, and a clear mission.

General David W. Allvin, the 23rd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, will be the featured speaker at 911����’s Spring Commencement ceremony on May 14 at EagleBank Arena.

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the case of 911���� lacrosse twins Kaitlyn and Regan Bestick, that road has split and come back together several times. Now, as they compete in their final season together and prepare to separate again, they reflect on their time in the Mason Nation.

Rayan Rahman, BS Management ’17, has achieved an impressive amount in a short period of time. Now a senior recruiter at Amazon, he has founded two companies—Changing Bangladesh Foundation and Airposted—the latter of which he sold during the COVID pandemic when it had reached a gross merchandise value of approximately one million dollars.

Near the Italian town of Bormio, visitors can ride a mountain cable car to take in a breathtaking panorama from a café perched near the peak. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Agent Mohamed Hassan, BA Religious Studies ’20, who was a field liaison officer during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, recounts taking a break from supporting Team USA to sip a cappuccino alongside Olympians: “Everyone was really interested in what everyone's there to do…. Everyone's motivating one another.”

Heather Apostol shares how her College of Public Health training and Filipino heritage drive her commitment to creating housing stability and community-based social work programs.

Cheryl Hairston, BS Athletic Training ’15, and Jaylen Simmons, BS Kinesiology ’21, MS Athletic Training ’23, now serve 911���� student-athletes as athletic trainers. Their journeys into the profession began with personal curiosity, mentorship, and formative experiences that ultimately shaped their careers.

When Ali Reza Manouchehri, BA Philosophy ’99, arrived at 911���� as an undergraduate, he couldn’t know that he would start what would become one of the region’s most dynamic technology companies in his residence hall room. 

Eighty-one energetic Patriots traveled to Richmond on March 5 for Mason Lobbies, where 911���� President Gregory Washington joined House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, BA Economics ’93, and Senator Saddam Salim, BS Public Administration ’12, MPA ’15, in welcoming students to the General Assembly for a whirlwind day of advocacy.

Gabrielle Tayac, an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History in the College of Humanities of Social Sciences, has received a grant from NPS to lead Phase Two of Tribal Nations and the Revolutionary War, a community-driven research project that will examine the Revolutionary War and its aftermath from the perspectives of tribal nations.

Using biosensors and surveys, CEHD and CVPA worked together to find the cause behind increasing injuries in dancers.

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