Alumni

For Boris Willis, the future of games has always been bigger than pixels and code. Long before the rise of virtual production and interactive storytelling, Willis was blending technology, dance, and design into new forms of creative expression.

Baez-Smith has built a powerful public health career rooted in community impact, leading initiatives from opioid overdose prevention to pandemic response and mental health advocacy. Recently named to George Mason’s 2025 Forty Under 40 by the Black Alumni Chapter, her journey—from student advocate to statewide public health leader—shows how one person’s dedication can transform systems, uplift communities, and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

The state budget, signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 2, represents the Commonwealth of Virginia’s continued investment in George Mason University as the state’s leading university for access, innovation and upward mobility. The funding goes into effect July 1, 2025.

Randy Escalera, a freshman computer science student, received the first scholarship from the Jimmy Chiou Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship, created by CEC partner organization Metron, Incorporated, with a $50,000 gift.

From her small hometown of Ruther Glen, Virginia, to the bright lights of New York City, Gilda Squire, BA Communication ’95, has forged a career that has led Squire from the federal government through Wall Street, into book publishing, and finally landing as a powerhouse talent manager for some of entertainment’s brightest stars.

The Costello College of Business at George Mason University will be holding its Spring 2025 Degree Celebration on Friday, May 16, 2025. This year’s degree celebration will include remarks from the President and CEO of NABA Inc., Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Relations ’94.

Only five years after graduating from George Mason University, alumna Rhyan Elliott, Film and Video Studies ’20, was recently a production supervisor for the five-time Oscar-winning film Anora (2024), directed by Sean Baker.

Monika Blakely has lived all over the world, but her time at George Mason University has been particularly special.

Death has been the constant companion in Steven Luu’s life—from war-torn Vietnam to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. But through art, Luu, now an MFA student at George Mason University’s School of Art, has discovered peace, purpose, and a path to healing.

This Army major wanted to combine his military service with the hard science of biodefense. Read how Major Geoffrey Mattoon found his way to the Schar School’s one-of-a-kind graduate program—in the shadow of the Pentagon.