Mason Korea

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

entrepreneurship

A new era of global growth: George Mason and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator

Colleen Rich — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:54:56 +0000

A new era of global growth: George Mason and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator Colleen Rich Tue, 11/18/2025 - 10:54

This month, a new Northern Virginia International Soft-Landing Accelerator (NISA) program, designed to help start-ups from around the globe find guidance, connections, and lab or office spaces at no cost, was launched to help develop new technologies in life sciences.

Participants in the six-month program will have access to George Mason’s cutting-edge labs. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of Ģ��AV Branding

Applications are now open for the first NISA cohort. Participants in the six-month program will have access to George Mason Ģ��AV’s cutting-edge labs, research, and strong business and government network across the region, propelling ideas from lab to market quickly. Selected companies can work from lab or office space at Endeavor234 and Centerfuse while drawing on support from local legal, financial, real estate, and accounting partners to ease their move into the community.

The program is led by George Mason in partnership with Naugen, a global innovation accelerator recognized for helping ventures enter and grow in untapped markets, at its Science and Technology Campus, located in the heart of the new Innovation District, founded by Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and George Mason. Naugen and George Mason are collaborating with regional economic development groups and private-sector partners on the initiative.

“Many international start-ups bring outstanding technologies, but they often face challenges with the U.S. investment landscape and limited networks. NISA exists to bridge that gap,” said Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen. “By combining Naugen’s global expertise with Northern Virginia’s thriving ecosystem, we are building a launchpad where international innovators can put down U.S. roots and scale into true worldwide enterprises.”

NISA is also partnering with Mason Korea to help South Korean founders explore opportunities in the United States. At Mason Korea, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), led by the Costello College of Business, introduces early-stage start-ups to the fundamentals of building and testing their ideas through workshops, pitch events, applied projects, and one-on-one guidance. CIE also works with teams that are beginning to look abroad, helping them understand what it takes to reach the U.S. market and linking them with NISA and contacts in Northern Virginia’s start-up ecosystem.

“We meet talented founders every day in South Korea who are eager to take the next step,” said Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea. “CIE pushes them to think more deliberately about their idea, their timing, and the direction they want to take.”

From left, Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation at George Mason Ģ��AV; Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen; and Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea, at the NISA launch. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of Ģ��AV Branding

“NISA, along with investments in expanding the life science ecosystem and establishing the Innovation District, is helping build a destination for next-generation companies from around the world in Northern Virginia with benefits across the state,” said Christina Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. “Propelling this sector and bolstering the local entrepreneurial network is creating a vibrant place where industries and communities succeed together.”

Part of NISA’s funding comes from the George Mason-managed Innovation District grant, a $3.9 million investment from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development that strengthens and diversifies Virginia’s economy and fosters the creation of high-wage jobs in strategic industries. Virginia plays a key leadership role as part of the Biohealth Capital Region and is home to the nation’s third-largest biopharma cluster.

“Our goal is not just to attract businesses. We want them to see Manassas as home,” said Patrick Small, economic development director for the City of Manassas. “That means matching founders with the right resources and making sure their employees have access to excellent schools, welcoming neighborhoods, and the amenities that make people want to stay and build their future.”

“NISA participants can take advantage of George Mason’s world-class core facilities, including our biocontainment facility and CAP/CLIA-accredited laboratory,” said Amy Adams, executive director of the Innovation District and George Mason’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation. “George Mason helps innovators shorten the journey from concept to commercialization through pairing these resources with top-tier expertise.”

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Science and Technology Campus

Research

Innovation District

Institute for Biohealth Innovation

entrepreneurship

partnerships

A legacy of resilience: New scholarship helps students persevere to get their degree

Sarah Holland — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 20:46:17 +0000

A legacy of resilience: New scholarship helps students persevere to get their degree Sarah Holland Thu, 11/06/2025 - 15:46

“What advice would you give to someone who’s in the process of understanding and knowing their worth?” Amany Bouali asks her mother.

“Everyone one of us has a lot to give and a lot to receive. You are so precious, and you are worth this world and more,” Zeineb replies.

It’s a bittersweet interlude on Amany Bouali’s album Came from Something: Her mother, Zeineb Mrad Bouali, passed away not long after recording. She was a student in George Mason Ģ��AV’s MA in English program.

Amany (left), Fathi, and Ons hold a photo honoring Zeineb at Ons' graduation from Elon Ģ��AV. Photo provided

Inspired by their mother’s determination, Amany and her sister, Ons, and their father, Fathi, created the Zeineb Mrad Bouali Tenacity and Perseverance Award for students who have had to pause their educational goals and are now hoping to return to complete their degrees.

Zeineb called herself an “avid life wanderer,” her daughters said. A mother, a daughter, an educator, a poet, a cake decorator, and a business owner, Zeineb wore many hats throughout her life. But she had one dream waiting to be fulfilled: completing a master’s degree.

Before immigrating to the United States, Zeineb was an accomplished English teacher in her home country of Tunisia. But like many immigrants, her credentials didn’t transfer upon her arrival in the U.S.

“Part of my mom’s struggle in this country was all the barriers that are in place for immigrants to start a business, go back to school, resume where they were in their country,” explained Ons. “She had to start her college education from scratch.”

Throughout her life she tried returning to school to be reaccredited, periodically taking classes at Ģ��AV of Texas at San Antonio, George Mason, and Northern Virginia Community College. Life just kept getting in the way of a formal degree program.

But Zeineb cared deeply about her daughters’ education. “Her whole life's dream was watching us succeed. When we went on college tours and got acceptances, she was so excited,” said Ons. “She was beside herself with happiness when the acceptance letters came in.”

“That was her moment,” agreed Amany. “It meant so much more to her than it could have ever meant to me.”

Zeineb in from of the Department of English offices. Photo provided

And it was her daughters who encouraged Zeineb to try for her master’s degree one more time. “Our mom put her whole life on hold to make sure we could achieve our dreams,” said Ons. “And once we were older, we told her that it was time for her to go after her dreams.”

With support from then-graduate admissions coordinator of the Department of English Holly Mason Badra, Zeineb applied and was accepted into the MA in English program in 2021, where she planned to pursue a concentration in literature. She passed unexpectedly from complications due to a rare autoimmune disease in September 2022. This is the inaugural year for the scholarship honoring her legacy.

“I hope my mom’s story inspires the recipients to be resilient and to find a way to achieve their dream no matter the obstacles, even if it doesn't look exactly like they planned,” said Ons. “I want them to think, ‘what would Zeineb do?’”

“We want the scholarship to give people from diverse backgrounds who have these additional challenges they’re facing a bit of additional support and kind of ease that burden from them, so they can persevere like our mom did,” said Amany.

This year’s inaugural awardees honor Zeineb’s legacy through their determination to achieve their dreams despite major setbacks.

Hyerin Cha

Major: Global affairs

Photo provided

When Hyerin Cha was a child, she and her family were displaced from their home in South Korea after a major tragedy. Rebuilding from those early hardships shaped her deep commitment to education and community service. “I’m always trying to learn something” she said. “Because of the lack of resources around me, I had to teach myself.”

Driven by curiosity and compassion, Cha grew into an active advocate for equitable education. She has served as a STEM and coding mentor for underprivileged children, an NGO strategy coordinator, and a volunteer leader in community development initiatives both in Korea and abroad. “Giving back through education became my way of honoring the help I once needed,” she said.

Knowing early on that she wanted to work in policymaking, Cha chose Mason Korea for its global connections and focus on international governance. Balancing her studies with part-time jobs to fund her education, she continued to excel academically and serve her community.

As a Mason Korea student, she was required to complete a year at the Fairfax Campus, but her student visa limited her ability to work. The Zeineb Mrad Bouali Tenacity and Perseverance Award provided crucial support, allowing her to continue her studies and complete her degree.

“This scholarship didn’t just relieve a financial burden, it reaffirmed my belief that perseverance and purpose matter,” she said. “It reminded me that I’m on the right path, and that I can keep going.”

Andrea Delgado Portillo

Major: Criminology, law and society

Photo provided

Andrea Delgado Portillo and her family immigrated to the United States in 2017. Despite being approved for a green card and completing her high school education in Virginia, Delgado Portillo did not qualify for in-state tuition and was ineligible for federal financial aid.

After graduating from high school in 2020, she completed three semesters at Northern Virginia Community College, paying out-of-state tuition. Already facing financial strain, she was forced to pause her education when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.

“My primary focus shifted to providing for her both financially and emotionally, and after my money ran out, going back to school was out of the question,” she said.

But Delgado Portillo, a first-generation high school graduate, had dreams of studying criminology and law and being the first in her family to get a college degree. “My community doesn't have a lot of representation in law enforcement,” she said. “When my mom went through a domestic violence incident, she didn’t have anyone to translate for her. I want to be able to help people like that in my community.”

While supporting her mother through treatments, she saved money whenever she could in the hopes of returning to college. After a two-year gap, she applied to George Mason to finish her degree.

“[George Mason’s] financial aid office helped me be accepted for in-state tuition and showed me where to apply for scholarships,” she said. The Zeineb Mrad Bouali Tenacity and Perseverance Award was one of her awarded scholarships.

“With the scholarship I was able to pay for books, parking, and part of my tuition,” she said. “I hope one day I can pay their generosity back, maybe through supporting another immigrant student who, like me, had a dream they were struggling to achieve.”

Delgado Portillo plans to graduate in Spring 2026.

“When I came here [to the United States], I knew nothing, not even how to say, ‘how are you?’” she said. “Now, I’m going to graduate from college. Hopefully, my mom is going to see me walk across the stage.”

Zeineb Mrad Bouali: A remembrance, a celebration, a legacy

Ģ��AVics

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Mason Korea launches Center for Korean Culture and Society

Katarina Benson — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 16:03:46 +0000

Mason Korea launches Center for Korean Culture and Society Katarina Benson Mon, 11/03/2025 - 11:03

With the global rise of Korean culture—from K-pop and film to food and language—George Mason Ģ��AV’s Mason Korea campus recently launched the Center for Korean Culture and Society (CKCS), its first independently operating research center.

The center will lead interdisciplinary research and education in media content, K-pop, gaming, sports, and tourism. Planned initiatives include hosting international conferences, training cultural industry professionals, fostering industry–academic partnerships, and offering Korean language and culture programs for global learners.

Students groups performed at the ceremony. Photo provided

“As a global campus that values both scholarship and practice, Mason Korea seeks to build a platform where K-culture can be shared and co-created with the world,” Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea, said at the center’s opening ceremony at the Incheon Global Campus Small Theater. “Through strong partnerships with students, faculty, businesses, and cultural institutions, Mason Korea will continue to serve as a trusted global education bridge.”

The center launch aligns with Korea’s national strategy to position itself as a global leader in K-content. Leveraging Incheon’s international gateway and collaboration with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ)’s K-Con LAND project, Mason Korea aims to become a key bridge connecting Korea and the world.

Gyu Tag Lee, professor of global affairs and inaugural director of the center, and a leading expert on K-pop and popular music, presented the center’s vision. “We envision this center as more than a space for research,” he said. “It will be a meeting point for people from around the world to create, share, and learn from K-content.”

A panel discussion followed, centered on the book Exploring Hallyu: History and Theory, co-authored by Lee and fellow scholars.

Guy Tag Lee will direct the new center. Photo provided

The event brought together representatives from major cultural and educational institutions, including the Seoul Foundation of Culture, Hunminjeongeum Globalization Foundation, Incheon Global Campus Foundation, American Korean Businessmen Friendship Forum, Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the World Olympic Taekwondo Federation, Incheon National Ģ��AV, and South Korean educational public radio and television network EBS, with support from Incheon Metropolitan City and the Incheon Citizens’ Life College.

The ceremony also featured a congratulatory video from Incheon mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, and remarks from Yun Wonsok, commissioner of IFEZ.

Discover Mason Korea

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Mason Korea students create camp that brings together students from seven nations

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:32:01 +0000

Mason Korea students create camp that brings together students from seven nations Katarina Benson Wed, 10/15/2025 - 17:32

Eleven Mason Korea students stepped into a mentorship role this summer at the 2025 Incheon–ASEAN Global Youth Camp. Serving as more than mentors, the students became cultural bridges in a historic international initiative described by organizers as a “first step” toward lasting educational cooperation.

The camp was organized by the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) education offices and was led by Mason Korea professor Hyunyoung Cho and the student team.  

Mason Korea student mentors at the camp's closing ceremony. Photo provided

The camp brought together high school students from seven ASEAN nations and seven Incheon high schools for five days of collaborative problem-solving centered on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Instead of simply visiting landmarks, participants worked in small international teams to learn about specific goals, researched their impact on their home countries, and presented creative, practical solutions.

Supporting them at every stage were the Mason Korea student mentors: Yibin Cho, Kippeum Joy Choi, Jungbin Eom, Jisu Kim, Minsoo Kim, Hyeyeon Kweon, Chaeyoung Moon, Jessmine Huynh Nguyen, Jinuk Seo, Hojae Song, and Jinhyeop Pyo.

The success of the camp lay in its balance of structured learning and student-led collaboration. The Mason Korea mentors guided discussions, facilitated group work, and ensured that every participant was heard. They also prepared key materials in advance, including a bilingual workbook that helped bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. The result was a space where students could genuinely learn from one another, rather than simply observe.

Moon also documented the camp in photos and video, and later contributed to producing a film that captured both the learning and the friendships formed during the week.

Officials from both Korea and ASEAN praised the George Mason mentors for their adaptability and empathy. Organizers also noted that the mentors created an environment where every participant felt heard and respected, a factor they said made the camp truly meaningful.

“This is not just about cultural awareness,” Cho said. “It is about giving young people the confidence and skills to engage with the world, and our Mason Korea students helped make that happen.”

Learn more about Mason Korea

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Summer Camps

Mason Korea students take the lead in New York high school exchange program

Colleen Rich — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:18:43 +0000

Mason Korea students take the lead in New York high school exchange program Colleen Rich Wed, 09/17/2025 - 16:18

George Mason Ģ��AV Korea played a crucial role in connecting students from different cultures across language barriers over a seven-day Incheon–New York High School Exchange Program in July.

Students working on silver rings at the Korea Jewelry High School. Photo provided

Education authorities from Incheon and New York have collaborated on a brand-new exchange in which students from the two cities shared classrooms and experiences while acknowledging the language and cultural barriers in between.

The George Mason lead on the project—Hyunyoung Cho, a professor of English in Mason Korea—noted how ambitious the project was. “Last year, when the two cities’ authorities first met, we had no specific plan on how to implement this grand project,” she said. “However, with the effort of so many officials and schools, this became a reality and a truly historic starting point for more exchanges to follow.”

The students from New York were given the chance to mix into the daily learning environment of Incheon students. Incheon Popular Arts High School welcomed the delegation with workshops in practical music, performing arts, and media production. Students collaborated on music, dancing, and acting performances, learning how artistic expression can transcend language barriers.

Incheon International High School also provided a platform for globally focused, project-based learning, where the students engaged in discussions on cultural perspectives and future careers in an increasingly interconnected world.

Photo provided

Korea Jewelry High School offered hands-on craft training and the New York students learned silver ring-making techniques and reflected on the craftsmanship behind vocational artistry.

These experiences allowed both Korean and American students to compare educational methods, share aspirations, and explore different approaches to education.

Five Mason Korea students—Chaeyoung Moon, Cheho Moon, Jisu Kim, Jungbin Eom, and Minsoo Kim—assisted Cho in planning and running the program. The Mason Korea students served as mentors and helped introduce the group to the new environments including classrooms, historic sites, and popular streets while drawing on what they learned in ENGH 300 Literature for the Public and Cross-cultural Communication.

Yoon-oh Noh, research officer at the Incheon East Asia Global Education Institute, said the mentors made this program especially distinctive. The student mentors functioned as primary cultural guides and instructional supports—making implicit rules explicit, framing activities so that both sides could contribute, and linking daily experiences back to the program’s goals.

Beyond their in-program facilitation, the mentors’ work spanned the entire lifecycle of the exchange from pre-program planning and advance site visits to creating a workbook and post-program deliverables, including a report and a film documenting the week.

Throughout the seven days, the students from New York recorded and shared their insights in the program workbook and through presentations and videos. They said that they were able to overcome language barriers with the active support of mentors and buddy students, and they experienced more than textbooks could convey. They also discussed how this event changed their mindsets.

Many of the New York students remarked that becoming friends with Korean students was their best experience in Korea. “He is my Chingu, he is my best Chingu,” one of the students said, after learning the word “friend” in Korean from a mentor.

For many New York students, the mentors were their most consistent Korean counterparts.

With plans to continue and expand the partnership, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education and the New York City Department of Education reaffirmed their commitment to equipping students with both academic learning and intercultural competence to thrive as global citizens.

Learn more about Mason Korea

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Mason Korea hosts Young Innovators Summer Camp for local youth

Colleen Rich — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:00:54 +0000

Mason Korea hosts Young Innovators Summer Camp for local youth Colleen Rich Tue, 09/02/2025 - 13:00

Eighty elementary, middle, and high school students from Incheon, South Korea, spent four days exploring the technologies shaping the future at Mason Korea’s 2025 Young Innovators Summer Camp. Held on the Songdo campus from August 18–21, the program is part of Incheon’s Youth Talent Development initiative.

Young Innovators Summer Camp at Mason Korea. Photo provided

Each day began with “AI, Robotics, and Me,” a lecture by Eunmee Lee, Mason Korea’s associate professor of English for academic purposes, who introduced students to the latest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics while encouraging conversations about their ethical use. The program also featured a computer game design workshop led by James Broderick, assistant professor of computer game design, giving students a chance to develop and test their own game ideas.

“We designed this camp to give students space to explore, play, and discover new ideas,” said Lee, who led the program. “Our goal was to make learning dynamic and creative, something that sparks curiosity.”

Students also built and flew drones, conducted some climate experiments, and explored computer coding. They also took a campus tour led by Mason Korea student ambassadors and visited the National Gwacheon Science Museum.

Organized under Mason Cares, Mason Korea's social impact project, and supported by the Incheon Institute for Talent and Lifelong Education and Incheon Global Campus, the camp brought together Mason Korea faculty, student mentors, experts, and volunteers to support and empower local youth.

“The camp provided a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the digital and AI skills of Incheon’s youth while advancing George Mason’s mission of building a more just, free and prosperous world," said Campus Dean Joshua Park.

Ģ��AVics

Summer Camps

Artificial Intelligence

workforce

Mason Korea kicks off fall 2025 with convocation

Colleen Rich — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:37:11 +0000

Mason Korea kicks off fall 2025 with convocation Colleen Rich Tue, 09/02/2025 - 12:37

Mason Korea welcomed its newest class at the Fall 2025 Convocation in the Incheon Global Campus Grand Auditorium, where more than 200 new students, family members, faculty, staff, and current students came together to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year.

Students attending Mason Korea's Convocation. Photo provided

Enrollment rose about 18% this fall, driven by strong interest in such programs as computational and data sciences, business, economics, and the Master of Laws (LLM).

“You represent a truly global cohort, joining classmates from more than 25 nationalities,” Campus Dean Joshua Park told those assembled. “Here, you will experience the best of American higher education through our U.S. campus near Washington, D.C., while also benefiting from the unique advantages of being in Songdo—one of Korea’s most dynamic international cities.”

Angela Kang, associate dean of Ģ��AV Life, emphasized the campus' commitment to student success. “Mason Korea provides an exceptional environment where students can grow both academically and personally in a global setting that also values Korean traditions,” she said. “Through our First Semester Experience (FSE) program, we help students begin their college journey with confidence and focus.”

Mason Korea welcomed 200 new students this fall. Photo provided

Student Body President Jimin Choi also shared words of encouragement with the new Patriots: “Ģ��AV is not a place where you simply find all the answers—it’s where you learn to ask the right questions and take on meaningful challenges.”

The Mason Korea Spirit Awards also were presented to students who showed outstanding leadership and service during Welcome Week—a week of orientation and cultural activities designed to help new students settle into campus life.

Ģ��AVics

enrollment growth

Mason Korea students present research at top international conference

Katarina Benson — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:19:57 +0000

Mason Korea students present research at top international conference Katarina Benson Tue, 08/12/2025 - 15:19

For Mason Korea students Dayeon Shin and Taeyeong Kim, what started as a moment of curiosity in class turned into something much bigger—a chance to present their research on a global stage.

It began with a classroom discussion on urban flooding, which inspired a research project on “sponge cities,” or urban areas designed to absorb and reuse rainwater, and their potential in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

Shin, a junior majoring in global affairs, applied for and received funding through George Mason Ģ��AV’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, part of the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). She teamed up with Kim, a sophomore, and together, under the mentorship of Mason Korea professor Dakota McCarty, they brought the project to life.

Shin and Kim present their research. Photo provided

Their research was accepted for presentation at the 2025 Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) annual congress in Istanbul, one of the largest and most competitive conferences in the field. Out of the thousands of participants and more than 1,000 presentations, they were one of the very few, if only, undergraduate participants and likely the only undergraduate presenters.

Their presentation, “Exploring the Feasibility of Sponge City Solutions for Flood Resilience in Gangnam, Seoul,” was well received by a room full of academics and planning professionals from around the world.

“Presenting my research and engaging in discussions with professionals from various countries was an incredible experience,” said Shin. “Attending different sessions allowed me to think about my specific interests and motivated me to keep going—it felt like the first real step in my academic journey.”

But the experience wasn’t just about showcasing a project—it was about stepping confidently into the world of research and seeing themselves not just as students, but as emerging scholars.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference through academic research, and this experience helped me find my ‘why,’” said Kim. “I learned so much about urban planning and really valued the chance to connect with researchers from all over the world.”

For McCarty, the journey was just as rewarding to witness. “It all started with a great question after class,” he said. “That moment of curiosity turned into a research journey that brought Dayeon and Taeyeong to one of the top planning conferences in the world.”

Ģ��AVics

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

College of Humanities and Social Science

Graduate student’s research examines how identity impacts world affairs

Katarina Benson — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 18:33:14 +0000

Graduate student’s research examines how identity impacts world affairs Katarina Benson Tue, 08/05/2025 - 14:33

Ilya Kim brought a unique perspective to his studies at George Mason Ģ��AV. He grew up as ethnic minority in Russia, living in the country until his family moved to South Korea in 2008 when he was 8.

That experience has informed his studies, first as a global affairs major who spent three years at Mason Korea, where he also served as Mason Korea’s student council president and worked as a resident advisor and Ģ��AV Life office intern.

When he arrived at George Mason’s Fairfax Campus he already knew he wanted to pursue a master’s degree in sociology. He reached out to Shannon Davis, who spent three years as Mason Korea’s associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in addition to 15 years with George Mason’s Sociology Department.

Kim in his graduation regalia. Photo provided

She in turn was able to point Kim to John Dale, associate professor of sociology and director of Movement Engaged, the social movement research hub of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ (CHSS) Center for Social Science Research (CSSR).

“[Dale] was really the guy who got me to where I am in my graduate studies,” Kim said.

Indeed, it didn’t take long for Dale to be equally impressed by Kim, who he first met in his CONF 399 Sociology of Human Rights course in fall 2022.

“It quickly became apparent to me and his classmates that he was the brightest kid in the class,” Dale said. “I gave him an A-plus, and I never give an A-plus.”

As a master’s student, Kim has built on his undergraduate work with Movement Engaged, learning under Dale and working alongside PhD students.

“That exposure to high-level learning and people who are about to defend their thesis made me work harder because I wanted to be at their level to contribute to the discussion,” Kim said.

He continued his community involvement at the Fairfax Campus, serving as a community assistant for the university’s Office of Housing and Residential Life. In 2022, Kim received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Virginia Association of College and Ģ��AV Housing Officers.

Kim is on track to finish his master’s degree from George Mason in the fall of 2026 and continues to expand on his research for his capstone project: “Sakhalin Island: Nexus of Transnational Movements.”

Dale has called Kim’s research a fascinating case study of globalization and transnational politics that could turn into a PhD dissertation.

The project examines the small Russian island of Sakhalin, which is more than 4,000 miles east of Moscow and sits in the Pacific Ocean just north of Japan. The island is inhabited by half a million people, including Russians, Indigenous peoples, Koreans, and even Americans. Kim has a close connection to the island, as his grandparents used to live there and distant relatives still reside there.

“It is very hard to find someone with the background Ilya has in Russia who can write well, do that translation and research in Russia,” Dale said. “Especially [someone] who also would be seeing it from the perspective of an ethnic minority position inside Russia, and so have more of a critical history of the formation of their constitution, which is what brought new insight to the possibilities for reform.”

“It is almost a little wildlife reserve of many of these identities there, and somehow they are all co-existing,” Kim said of Sakhalin. “But there are also tensions. I argue that people on that specific island are interesting to study because of how unique their identity and perspective is. If we can understand what Russia is and what type of identity it projects, then it kind of gives us a blueprint of how we can work with those groups—not just on paper, but in reality.”

Kim’s work received the 2025 College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Challenge Scholarship, which recognizes exceptional students who have demonstrated academic excellence, a commitment to education as a powerful tool for change, and commitment to leadership and community engagement. It is among the most competitive and prestigious scholarships that the college offers and is open to all CHSS students.

“Ilya is a shining example of how George Mason students can make a global impact,” CHSS Dean Ann Ardis said. “In addition to his research and collaborations with Movement Engaged, he has shown his commitment to improving the student experience on campus for Mason Korea and international students making the transition to Fairfax.”

Ģ��AVics

Scholarships