Costello College of Business Scholarships

The scholarship luncheon, held each fall by the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, brings together scholarship donors with the student recipients of those scholarships. On Tuesday, November 7, the latest group of donors and awardees gathered to build connections and share inspiration.

Despite living and working in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Michael VanPatten, MBA ’90, never lost touch with Mason. Immediately receptive to post-graduation calls from the alumni relations team, he was eager to connect with alumni and assist students in attaining an MBA. The positive experience he had at Mason, with instructors who had working knowledge in the areas they were teaching, encouraged his continued engagement.

Reflecting on his career path in the three decades following his graduation from George Mason University, George Cabalu, BA Economics ’92, is grateful that he chose the green and gold. In fact, with the university rapidly climbing ranks across the board, his degree has never been more valuable. Cabalu, who is now a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Advisors, is extending a helping hand to students by establishing the Cabalu Scholarship Endowment, geared toward School of Business students of Asian descent and from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

With the daytime dedicated to her nine-to-five job and evenings occupied with coursework, the financial support that Kaylene Green, BS Accounting & Legal Studies ’87, received from her employer was integral to her success. Now the president and CEO of Flagship Government Relations, Inc., she makes sure to return the favor, supporting the business students of her alma mater.

Always looking for an edge, Giovanni Rodriguez would scan website after website for scholarships and other opportunities. His persistence paid off when he was announced as the undergraduate recipient for the Emerging Business Leader Award in 2021.

After graduating from the School of Business with her BS in accounting, Melissa Perera returned to complete her masters and get another leg up on her competition. Perera’s hard work was rewarded with the 2021 Graduate Division Emerging Business Leader Award.

Celia Miranda, now a senior majoring in information systems and operations management, attended a bootcamp for aspiring entrepreneurs when she was a high school senior. The bootcamp took place on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. It was then and there that she learned what she wanted to do and where she was comfortable studying.

His sights set on the music industry, Daniel Cooper, a senior double majoring in marketing and management, has the drive, talent, and brains to make it big, but there was one more thing he needed–a little extra money to help him continue advancing his studies. Not coming from a family of means, Cooper realized he would have to find extra funds elsewhere to help finance his education. Thankfully for Cooper, generous people like Michael (MBA ’83) and Jane Anzilotti are part of his George Mason University School of Business extended family.

Before she began pursuing her MBA, Christina Snyder knew that women were underrepresented in business, not necessarily in the George Mason University School of Business, but certainly among leadership in the business world. Soon after starting her MBA studies at Mason, she discovered the Women in Business Initiative and the opportunity to apply for the Women in Business Initiative Endowed Scholarship. She leapt at the chance to apply, and she's so thankful that she did.

When Linh Le, a senior in the accounting accelerated master’s program, first arrived to George Mason University, she realized that even working multiple part-time jobs would still put tuition out of reach. Besides, she also understood that she would need that extra time to focus on her demanding courses. Adding to the hardships that she expected was the unexpected impact of COVID-19. She now finds herself on track for the accelerated program that would have been much harder to fund had she not applied for, and received, the Janis S. Reed Endowed Scholarship.