Alumni

Spring 2026 Commencement at George Mason University on May 14 at EagleBank Arena honored more than 12,000 graduates and certificate recipients. George Mason photographers captured the excitement and spirit of the day.

George Mason University honored its graduates at Spring Commencement with a trio of well-received speakers who delivered messages of resilience, preparation, and celebrating differences. The ceremony, livestreamed on George Mason’s YouTube channel Thursday morning from EagleBank Arena, honored more than 12,000 degree and certificate earners.

Together, the Marshes devoted a combined 90 years to George Mason Athletics before retiring in 2021. Their careers shaped generations of student-athletes, coaches, and staff, leaving an enduring imprint on the university community.

These learning design and technology courses pair graduate students with real startup clients to apply learning experience design (LXD) and UX research skills in hands-on consulting projects.

George Mason graduate student Jose Meneses has built a remarkable early career in conservation science through hands‑on research with the Smithsonian and global fieldwork. His work—spanning salamander peptides, elephant viruses, and zombie crabs—has shaped his path toward a future in disease ecology.

George Mason alumna Ashley Fortner, BS Integrative Studies ’17, is the caretaker of the new baby elephant Linh Mai at the National Zoo.

Saddam Salim came from Bangladesh as an 8-year-old. After bouts of homelessness and reliance on public support, the 2012 and 2015 Schar School graduate is now a Virginia state senator. But his public service journey is hardly over: He is now running for Congress. Read what the keynote speaker at the Degree Celebration will tell the audience on May 16.

Recent George Mason University graduates have secured strong career outcomes, with the Class of 2025 reporting a 92% positive outcome rate within six months of graduation, even amid a challenging and shifting economic landscape.

Sometimes things just seem to fall into place. That’s what happened for George Mason University women’s volleyball freshman player Nia Thompson. Nia’s mother, Amy Boone Thompson, BS Physical Education '95, was a dual-sport athlete at George Mason in the 1990s, playing both volleyball and basketball. She was a member of the 1994 CAA Championship women’s volleyball team. 

George Mason University alumnus Robert “Ken” Hedrick Jr., BA History ’71, said his philanthropy is rooted in the examples set by both sets of his grandparents, who were neighbors in a farming community in West Virginia. His paternal grandparents fed anyone who walked by the farm, and his maternal grandparents regularly took in foster children. Both families were always first to share what they had.