Damian Cristodero

First-generation student seizes her opportunity

ckearney — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:58:46 +0000

First-generation student seizes her opportunity ckearney Mon, 10/31/2022 - 11:58

When Jasmeen Linares thinks about attending George Mason University, her first thought is always, “I’m very lucky to have this opportunity.”

Jasmeen Linares. Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

Linares, a first-generation student, said her father worked construction before going to school as a boy in his native Argentina. Her mother helped her family in Bolivia sell food and homemade goods during the day before attending school at night.

“Her school was very far from her house, so at night she would walk home,” Linares said. “She would tell me she was scared, but she wanted to learn. She was passionate about that.”

That passion is securely instilled in Linares, a freshman computer science major from Annandale, Virginia, who is a member of Mason’s Honors College and a University Scholar, meaning her tuition is covered.

“I think it’s the right choice,” Linares said of attending Mason, despite an offer from another state university. “Mason is pretty diverse and that’s welcoming to me.”

Linares’ introduction to Mason began when she enrolled in Mason’s Early Identification Program (EIP). The program, which provides access to educational resources for middle and high school students who will be first in their families to attend college or university, has graduated more than 2,100 students since its inception in 1987.

Mason has become a destination for first-generation students, with 24% of undergraduates identifying as such.

For Khaseem Davis, EIP’s director, Linares’ path aligns perfectly with Mason’s core values of diversity, inclusivity and grit. And while talent is equally distributed among people, opportunity isn’t, with a Mason education being a great equalizer.

“Jasmeen is a bright student,” Davis said. “From our interactions, it was apparent that she was very self-aware and highly inquisitive. As an EIP student, Jasmeen’s standard was excellence, and I believe her desire to excel will contribute to her success at Mason and beyond.”

Linares, whose brother is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, began coding while in high school. And while she said it is interesting, she also finds it soothing in the same way as drawing.

The two skills had a synergy for Linares, who said she often incorporates something she draws into an app she is coding.

“I feel the creativity in both,” Linares said, “and being creative eases my mind.”

Linares does have a lot on her mind.

Her Honors College research project is examining how food advertisements on television contribute to high obesity rates among Latino children. One study she and her research group are using as a reference found that ads aimed at Spanish-speaking children showcased more fast food and non-nutritional foods than those on programs for English-speaking children.

Linares said she feels pressure to succeed as a first-generation student. But there is also plenty of encouragement from her parents.

“They’re proud of the direction my brother and me want to go,” Linares said. “They’re always trying to encourage us and say, ‘You have this opportunity. Take it and do what you want.’ ”

Topics

Students

Early Identification Program (EIP)

Honors College

College of Engineering and Computing

This freshman isn’t playing it safe

ckearney — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 14:59:05 +0000

This freshman isn’t playing it safe ckearney Mon, 08/30/2021 - 10:59

Accounting major Hazel Cartagena came to Mason through the Early Identification Program. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Hazel Cartagena, an incoming freshman at George Mason University, has already taken to heart a piece of advice she received from the university.

Well, not from the university specifically, but from some of the faculty she met through Mason’s Early Identification Program (EIP).

“They were really supportive and giving advice to not be scared and to take risks,” Cartagena said, “especially with classes.”

So Cartagena decided to follow her love of math and changed her major to accounting.

“I still don’t know much about accounting, so it’s going to be kind of new,” she said. “But I want to try it. I’ve always been into numbers.”

As a first-generation student, Cartagena’s story is pure Mason.

After coming to the United States from El Salvador to join her mother late in 2010, she enrolled in the EIP program; was an academic star at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia; earned a University Scholarship, which pays for four years of tuition; and is in Mason’s Honors College.

It all seems like a whirlwind, Cartagena said. And while she relishes the opportunity, she admitted to a bit of pressure because of the high expectations from her family.

“It’s an opportunity to move forward and better yourself,” she said. “I’m sure I can get through it and do good.”

Jhessyka Vargas Ferrufino believes that as well.

As assistant director for college readiness in the EIP program, Vargas Ferrufino worked with Cartagena during her senior year at Freedom High and praised Cartagena’s ability to juggle online learning, work, and family responsibilities.

“Her senior year has shown that she has the strength to make difficult decisions for the betterment of her education and her family,” said Vargas Ferrufino, BSW ’15; MSW ’18, who also came to study and work at Mason through EIP. “I’m excited to see what she will do at Mason.”

Cartagena said she has a good start thanks to EIP, which introduced her to mentors and faculty members she believes will be part of her network even after she graduates.

Just as important, though, were introductions to other first-generation students and students of different backgrounds who would join her at what is already is the most diverse public research university in Virginia.

She called it a built-in community.

“I remember seeing a lot of people from different places, different countries, and, at least for me, that helps me,” Cartagena said. “It encourages me. All these people from all these places are trying to do their best and put in that effort to have something better for themselves. For me, it is really inspiring.”

Topics

Students

Early Identification Program (EIP)

Honors College

Attaining her 'dream in the sky' at Mason

dcristod — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:30:00 +0000

Attaining her 'dream in the sky' at Mason dcristod Mon, 06/03/2019 - 05:30

Linda Chilin, who has a bachelor's degree from Mason in community health, and a master's in biology, began her relationship with the university through its Early Identification Program and has continued into a PhD program. Photo by Lathan Goumas.

Linda Chilin lives every day with the uncertainty of her status in the United States.

Chilin, whose family came from El Salvador in 2000, when she was 9 years old, has temporary protected status (TPS), an immigration status provided by the U.S. government to nationals of countries destabilized by war or catastrophe.

For those who left El Salvador after a civil war and two devastating earthquakes, TPS designations, if not renewed, will expire on Sept. 9, 2019.

“I can’t control that situation, so I try not to worry about it. I just keep focusing on my goals,” Chilin said. “I have a lot of support from family and friends and George Mason University, as well.”

Chilin, 28, is quite a star at Mason, where she is one of the few students to begin their relationship with the university through its Early Identification Program (EIP) and continue into a PhD program.

EIP provides educational resources to middle and high school students who will be first in their family to attend college. Chilin earned her bachelor’s degree in community health at Mason in 2013, her master’s degree in biology in 2017 and has been accepted for PhD studies in biosciences. She also worked as an administrative assistant in Mason’s School of Systems Biology and as a program assistant for University Life.

“Everything that I am I owe to the university,” Chilin said. “I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for the EIP program. It changed my life completely.”

“She’s just really tenacious,” said Lewis E. Forrest II, associate dean for University Life, who met Chilin while she was in EIP. “Quietly, every step of the way, she has met the mark for everything she wanted to do.”

What Chilin wants to do is teach at a university while researching cures and therapeutics for patients with HIV. She is currently assisting Mason professor Yuntao Wu, who is researching a protein that mobilizes cells to fight infections.

That said, had you asked Chilin about her future while she was in EIP, she probably would have predicted being an artist because she enjoys painting. But over time, science intrigued her. She said she became hooked during her master’s program while learning about viruses, which led to her interest in HIV research.

“One of the things I like about science is…you are always seeking the truth. You are trying to find actual facts, and that’s very valuable to me,” Chilin said. “I like the idea that there are so many things we don’t know, and science is a good way of clarifying things.”

What is clear for Chilin, whose sister, Jessica, is pursuing her master’s degree at Georgetown, is the remarkable path she and her family have traveled.

She called being accepted into a PhD program “a dream in the sky.”

“My mom is a single parent. We were immigrants. We don’t have stable immigrant status,” Chilin said. “All the odds were against us, but somehow, some way, I had so many people help me. Without EIP, without all the people who believed in me, it would not have been possible. I feel like I’m standing on their shoulders.”

Topics

Students

Early Identification Program (EIP)

She's really busy, but richer for the experience

dcristod — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 09:30:00 +0000

She's really busy, but richer for the experience dcristod Wed, 08/01/2018 - 05:30

Junior Isabella Bah, majoring in finance and accounting, received a $10,000 EagleBank Entrepreneurship Scholarship. Photo by Lathan Goumas.

Isabella Bah has a lot on her plate during the school year.

The George Mason University junior is majoring in finance and accounting. She is a member of five student organizations (at least—that’s what she could recall off the top of her head) and works two part-time jobs, including one as a mentor in Mason’s Early Identification Program (EIP).

“In all honesty, I’m still trying to figure out how to balance everything,” she said. “Time management will always factor into my daily routine.”

That said, it’s nice to know one’s perseverance and commitment are recognized.

Bah received a $10,000 EagleBank Entrepreneurship Scholarship that helped pay her sophomore tuition.

“A little bit overwhelming,” she said of the award. “Just to reflect on the experiences and the opportunities I’ve been given is really amazing.”

Bah, a first-generation student from Woodbridge, Va., began forming roots at Mason at age 13, when she enrolled in EIP, something she stuck with through her high school career.

An admitted introvert, Bah said the opportunity EIP gave her to familiarize herself with the campus and make friends was just what she needed to acclimate to a new and challenging environment.

The program also offers academic support in its three-week Summer Academy, which exposes students to classes in core academic areas. The academy includes SAT preparation, writing workshops and familiarization with computer technology.

“It helped me tremendously,” Bah said. “They’re the ones who gave me an opportunity to come to campus and get a feel for what it’s like to be a college student. All the academic and emotional support I got from them definitely helped my transition into college.”

Still, Bah had to seize the opportunity.

Khaseem Davis, EIP’s director who is also studying at Mason for his PhD in education, said there have been times when he would be working late in EIP’s offices, and Bah would be curled up with a blanket in a cubicle pulling a long study session.

“An extremely strong student, very hardworking, very dedicated,” Davis said. “She’s one of those students you like to highlight.”

Bah said she feels some pressure to succeed, not only for herself but to “set the blueprint” for her sisters, Heidi, 12, and Marisa, 15.

“There are a lot of times when I feel like this is all luck,” Bah said. “I literally can’t believe so many great things are happening.”

Topics

Students

Early Identification Program (EIP)