This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s

sholla4 — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:40:51 +0000

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s sholla4 Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:40

Monika Blakely, BS Information Technology ’24, has lived all over the world, but her time at 911�� has been particularly special. From rowing with the women’s rowing team to working as an influencer with ShopMason, this soon-to-be double 911�� graduate has left her mark on Fairfax Campus.

Photo provided

Blakely plans to graduate in spring 2025 with a master’s in management from Costello College of Business, completed through the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

What inspired you to combine information technology and management?

My long-term goal is to be a project manager, and I think it’s useful to know both the technical side and the management side to understand how to be effective as a project manager. It also gives me the flexibility to do what I want in a different career path, if that ends up being right for me. I had extra spaces in my undergraduate classes, so I added the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program for management.

Tell me about your internships.

Currently I have two internships. The first is with Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED). I started there in fall 2023 as a social media intern. I thought local government was interesting. I’d never been involved in that industry before and wanted to learn more about who’s involved and what they do for the city. I figured I’d try it and see if I liked it, and I did! I became a marketing fellow with FCED in spring 2024, and I am now a part-time programs associate.

My second internship is with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). I’ve been a public relations intern there since summer 2024.

What classes would you say have set you up for success at your internships?

Senior Capstone, for one, because I think that’s been the most similar to real-world problem solving. We worked with different concentrations in the IT department. We had people doing web development, programming, cybersecurity, and so on, seeing how those different skill sets can contribute to that one broad end goal.

GBUS 653 Organizational Behavior has also been helpful, just learning about different learning styles, how your learning style can fit in with others, and so on.

How have your extracurriculars impacted your work in the classroom?

Teamwork and communication are probably the biggest things. In rowing, you have different parts of the boat, different strengths coming together, and you have to work to stay in sync. Sometimes when you work in a team, it’s not always ideal for you. You have to learn how to work with other people, how to adjust your learning style to fit with theirs, and how to make compromises with decisions that won’t be agreed on.

My roles at FCED and GDIT helped me improve my communication skills. Even if you don’t work within your team, you’re working with other sections, and you always have to cross-collaborate. So, with FCED and GDIT, you have people from different backgrounds and different departments, which taught me how to collaborate effectively across teams to deliver a clear, unified message.

ShopMason also helped strengthen my communication skills, because you’re constantly collaborating with students and departments across the university and you have to come together to share a clear and engaging message. That experience has helped me better contribute in classroom discussions, group projects, and presentations.

Blakely, 6th from left, with the staff of FCED. Photo provided.

What are you most proud of from your time at 911��?

Being involved in different organizations and meeting a bunch of people I probably wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. I’ve been involved in organizations that reflect my culture and my studies, like the Japanese Student Association, the National Society for Black Engineers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Connecting with students similar to me has made the university experience worth it.

What makes 911�� special?

As the daughter of military service members, I’ve lived on different military bases around the world, and I think what makes 911�� special is that it has a space for everyone. There are cultural organizations, religious groups, interest groups...everyone can find a place to belong here, and that’s not the case everywhere.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

If there’s a skill you want to develop or an interest you have, pursue it in undergrad when you have the time and space to do so. You never know when those skills will be useful, and if you’re passionate about your work, people will notice.

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Mason graduate students get consultant training through new ‘researchship’ program

ckearney — Thu, 27 May 2021 12:29:02 +0000

Mason graduate students get consultant training through new ‘researchship’ program ckearney Thu, 05/27/2021 - 08:29

Students pursuing an MS in management through 911��’s School of Business usually spend four months getting work experience through internships at local companies. This year, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, administrators had to think creatively. So instead, they asked local businesses what they thought of hiring students to do remote “researchships.”

“With the pandemic, we didn’t think there would be many of your typical internships, so we had to innovate,” said Victoria Grady, associate professor of management and director of the management program. “We reached out to businesses in Arlington and asked them if they wanted students who could research and provide answers to specific questions they had.”

The 11-month, 36-credit program, which begins in August and finishes in July, generally has around 35 students attending each year. The program focuses on the fundamentals of business management in a global environment. The internship is a key part of the program, so administrators were concerned that students would lose out on a valuable opportunity to put classroom theory to practice in a corporate environment.

Kimberly Blue, graduate career manager at the School of Business, reached out to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and various businesses, and found that, despite the pandemic, some businesses wanted to do more of a traditional internship. Other businesses, however, were intrigued by the idea of students researching particular topics from remote locations. She described the researchship as similar to being a consultant. Both researchships and internships are paid.

Six businesses chose the researchship model, with professional services firm Dixon Hughes Goodman and Arlington Community Federal Credit Union taking two students each.

Lawrence Hailes, who graduated Mason in 2015 with a BA in music, was working as an actor in local productions when the pandemic hit. He decided to pivot into the corporate world so that he had some job stability. Hailes’ researchship is with Dixon Hughes Goodman.

“I have been looking at questions around restructuring post-pandemic,” said Hailes. “I’m looking into trends—what are other companies doing? Are they going virtual or hybrid, and how are they keeping their employees connected?”

Each week, Hailes receives questions about “what they want me to dig into” and then on Fridays he makes presentations and recommendations related to his research.

“I think I give the firm a fresh perspective,” said Hailes. “And the researchship allows me to delve into a topic, learn about the corporate world and then communicate my findings in a succinct way for a broad audience.”

Hailes adds, “Being an actor has paid off because I’m not shy about presenting to people.”

Clare Sullivan, who graduated with a degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University, said that her researchship at Arlington Economic Development has allowed her to study in depth urban agriculture.

“I’ve learned about the impact that urban agriculture can have, how it brings jobs and education and access to food,” said Sullivan. “And I’ve gotten to work with great people who love their jobs.”

Blue said that both the businesses and the students appear to be gaining from the researchship model. She expects the program to offer both researchships and internships post-pandemic.

“By thoroughly examining important topics, students are making a real difference for their employers,” said Blue.