MA Certificate of Merit Global Affairs

This award is in acknowledgement of students who have made a notable contribution to the Global Affairs community throughout their tenure in the Master of Arts in Global Affairs.

2023 Awardees

Nick  Allen

Nick Allen

Nick Allen is graduating from the Global Affairs MA program with a specialization in Global Conflict and Security. Nick is especially grateful for the diverse academic opportunities available to him in the GLOA MA program. Throughout his master’s degree, he conducted research on a wide variety of topics, including the economic impacts of the CFA monetary union; the Syrian Civil War and protracted social conflict; Hezbollah counterterrorism strategy; and the impacts of power sharing on state fragility in Lebanon. Nick would like to thank his family and friends for their unwavering support throughout his academic journey, as well as the professors from the GLOA program and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution for their guidance and inspiration. Nick currently works as a federal employee for the Department of Defense, and he intends to remain in his current position after graduation. 

Sebastian  Bonilla

Sebastian Bonilla

Sebastian Bonilla is a U.S. Army Foreign Affairs Officer to the Sub-Saharan African region. While attending the George Mason University (GMU) Global Affairs (GLOA) M.A. program, he concentrated on Global Conflict & Security. The capstone project for his degree detailed the effects of globalization through a comparative analysis of Mozambique, Lesotho, and South Africa. Additionally, he participated in the Human Rights Seminar abroad in Argentina with FLACSO as part of his program requirements. As a Hispanic officer in the Armed Forces, he seeks to utilize the skills and knowledge gained from GMU to support U.S. national interests and enhance military and multi-national partnerships. Sebastian expresses gratitude to God, his family, the GMU community (Specially GLOA)  and its partners, and the U.S. Army Foreign Affairs program for their support during his GMU journey, which was fully funded and supported by the U.S. Army.

Mohebullah  Jabarkhail

Mohebullah Jabarkhail

Moheb Jabarkhail completed a Master in Global Affairs specializing in Global Governance and Public Management.  He researched and published on human security while at Mason.  In the past, Moheb received a master’s in public policy from the University of Erfurt in Germany where he focused and researched global economic development policy.   Moheb’s most recent publication is “Afghanistan and the Way Forward: Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into Policymaking” published at in Vol 14, Issue 1 of the Global Policy Journal at Durham University.  Moheb thanks all the GLOA faculty, especially Director Cortney, who facilitated his tenure at Mason.  Building on his career and utilizing skills and knowledge learned at the GLOA program, Moheb will continue to manage projects and programs that facilitate global development and human security.  He has recently founded the Enterprise for Human Security (EfHS) nonprofit organization that promotes human security for all, especially in Afghanistan where women and youth face numerous challenges to their security and development.  Moheb was born in Afghanistan and currently lives in Virginia, US with his family of three beautiful children. 

Catherine Marvin

Catherine Marvin

Catherine Marvin completed a Master's in Global Affairs with a specialization in Global Governance and Public Management. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate career at Mason, she completed internships with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. House of Representatives. Additionally, Catherine served as the Global Affairs representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA), advocating for the needs of graduate and professional students of George Mason University. Catherine acknowledges and expresses her deep gratitude to Dr. Jennifer Ashley for her exceptional leadership in organizing GLOA's Human Rights seminar in Argentina. She also extends her appreciation to Dr. Byunghwan Ben Son for his invaluable guidance and support throughout her capstone project. Furthermore, Catherine credits Dr. Lisa Breglia for inspiring her research on microfinance, which had a profound impact on her academic journey. Lastly, she acknowledges the unwavering support provided by the GLOA graduate advisors, who played a vital role in her success throughout her graduate career.

Dhrav Parikh

Dhrav Parikh

Dhrav Parikh is a graduate student in the Global Affairs Program with a concentration in conflict resolution and human security. He has enjoyed his time at GMU and actively participated in DEI initiatives and as an undergraduate advisor for the program; giving him a chance to interact with and guide future GLOA students on their journey. His research has focused on energy security in Western Europe, the impact of mass surveillance on democracies and US-South Asia strategic foreign policy. He would like to thank Dr. Cortney Hughes Rinker, Dr. Jennifer Ashley, and Dr. Patrick Ukata for their support in his academic and professional development. Going forward, Dhrav would like to use his skills honed at GMU towards making a positive impact by furthering involvement, acceptance and normalization of marginalized communities in the democratic process.

Brian  Roddewig

Brian Roddewig

Brian’s undergraduate was earned from the Global Affairs Department at GMU and after 8 years of nomadic wine work across the U.S. and the globe, he returned to the master’s program for a specialization in global conflict and security. Despite the time gap, the excellent caliber of the courses and professors were as he remembered. Equally, his classmates were still as intelligent and passionate about their areas of interest, making him look forward to each course. It was seeing these passions that drove Brian to attempt to excel alongside them.  Although it drained his travel savings, the 2023 GLOA 710 trip to Nepal was a major highlight of the program. Despite global health not being his specialization, the trip allowed him to make new connections between the interlinkage of global health and conflict/security. Taking the skillsets and knowledgebase gained at GMU to promote greater understanding and make the world a little safer and better, as much as a singular individual can do, would be the crowning achievement of his journey through GMU for Brian.