BA in English

BA in English with a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric

Matthew will attend law school next fall.

BA English with a concentration in Literature

Hometown: Kampala, Uganda and Gaithersburg, Maryland

Creative writing leads to a creative media job

After taking on several social media-focused student internships for organizations such as Fall for the Book, Joyce accepted a role on the Communications and Marketing team within Mason's College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Thriving in work and school

In her work and her experience as a law student, Shannon Toole values the attention to detail, skills in writing and analysis, and ability to see multiple perspectives that she developed as a major in English.

2017 Spring Distinguished Alumni - Women and Gender Studies

Mabinty Quarshie earned a degree in English from George Mason University, along with two minors: Women and Gender Studies and African and African American Studies.

Creativity and coding

Samantha Bookwalter uses her writing skills along with coding skills to design Web-ready communications for her employer.

2017 Spring Distinguished Alumni - Religious Studies

Sehrish Kahn-Williamson received two bachelor’s degrees from Mason, in English and in Religious Studies, and went on to receive her master in theological studies degree from Harvard University.

2024 Distinguished Alumni - Faculty

Silver is an associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and director of educational pathways & faculty development in the Honors College. He also serves as the director of the education and health research hub in the Center for Social Science Research.

Optimizing information technology operations for federal clients

Melissa Burket works with IT developers and federal executives, ensuring that her federal agency clients optimize their IT operations.

Crafting words and taking pictures

Cerissa Hontiveros works as a technical writer and runs a freelance photography business in her spare time.

Reading the law like an English major

Eric D. Chapman brings to his legal career the skills of reading for detail, identifying underlying assumptions, and imagining alternatives points of view that he developed in the English major.

Bringing business to Washington, D.C.

As Director of Marketing and Communication for the Washington, D.C., Economic Partnership, Julie Weber uses her writing skills and creativity to market District of Columbia business.

A voice for her community

Susan Allen writes about the arts and people of her community for a regional newspaper in Wellington, New Zealand.

From English major to public defender

Arthur Pitts uses the analytical skills and understanding of audience he learned studying English in his legal work.

A tech savvy web designer

Timoni West uses combines writing, web and design skills in her work for new economy companies such as Flickr and Scribd.

2022 Distinguished Alumni - African and African American Studies

Allen Johnson has been a dynamic and proven expert in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia Real Estate community for more than 20 years.

Finding an odd kind of poetry in legal writing

Christopher Perkowski earned a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing at George Mason. Then he went on to become a lawyer.

2024 Distinguished Alumni - African and African American Studies

Rashid Shabazz, BA English '98, African and African American Studies Minor, is a visionary philanthropic and cultural leader, communications strategist, and advocate. He is executive director of Critical Minded, a grantmaking and advocacy initiative founded by the Ford Foundation and Nathan Cummings Foundation to invest in critics of color and strengthen the field of cultural criticism in the United States.

2017 Fall Distinguished Alumni - African and African American Studies

As Mason's Associate Dean for University Life, Lewis E. Forrest, II helps students make the most of their time at college.

Alumni Chapter - President

Shawn Brann, BA English '95, BA Communication '95, MA Education '99, CERG Educational Leadership '06, is a scrum master supporting the federal government on a large-scale financial system project at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

2019 Distinguished Alumni - English

Sean Murphy has been publishing fiction, poetry, reviews—of music, movies, books, and food—as well as essays on the technology industry for almost twenty years. as well as essays on the technology industry for almost twenty years.

Davy is senior vice president and chief culture, belonging and impact officer at Vizient, Inc.

2021 Distinguished Alumni - Staff

Paul Liberty was appointed vice president for government and community relations in 2012, and reports directly to President Gregory Washington. He oversees a team working with federal, state and local governments as well as business and civic communities.

Alumni Chapter - Immediate Past President

Cheryl Rice, BA English '88 and JD '91, is partner at Egerton, McAfee, in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she enjoys representing businesses and business owners in commercial disputes of all types.

Actor, director and playwright

You may have seen George Mason English alumnus Scott Alan Smith in television shows such as Rosewood. When he's not acting himself, he's teaching acting and directing at Pepperdine University.

Understanding the big picture through focused attention

Elissa Matulis Myers works in the world of professional associations, advocating for their missions and understanding how they work together.