Alumni

George Mason University graduate student Logan Messer had no shortage of family or friends on hand as he capped his wrestling career at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Competing just 40 miles from his hometown, Messer delivered a moment years in the making on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

With more than 300 members and growing, the Women in Business at Mason student organization at the Costello College of Business, empowers women who are majoring, minoring, or interested in the world of business. Through networking and personal and professional development events, they aim to expand upon members’ skillsets as well as their networks inside and outside of George Mason University. 

With the launch last year of the nonprofit Rise Above & Be Relentless Foundation, graduating Master of Global Policy and Commerce’s Sumeya Gibril created the support she wishes had been there for her. The inspiration for the charity, she said, “is me.”

When Doug Varone and Dancers takes the stage at the Center for the Arts on April 25, it will mark a full circle moment for company member and George Mason University alumnus Dareon Blowe, who had participated in a residency with them as a student in the School of Dance.

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the case of George Mason University 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.

Meet Lori Wade, the 1999 ODKM graduate who is now in charge of learning and development strategy at the Central Intelligence Agency.

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.”

Cheryl Hairston, BS Athletic Training ’15, and Jaylen Simmons, BS Kinesiology ’21, MS Athletic Training ’23, now serve George Mason 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 George Mason University 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.