Honors College

Honors College student Avery Shippen earned degrees in conflict analysis and resolution and art and visual technology while receiving multiple prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and international study opportunities. Her interdisciplinary work blending graphic design and peacebuilding, along with internships in global affairs and national security, has prepared her to pursue a career in education policy and curriculum development.

Two Carter School undergraduates represented George Mason University at the 2026 Oxford Consortium for Human Rights in War and Climate Emergency Conference, where they presented original research alongside global scholars. Supported by faculty mentorship and donor funding, the students gained hands-on international experience, expanded their professional networks, and explored new academic interests—highlighting the Carter School’s commitment to creating transformative opportunities for students beyond the classroom.

In spring 2024, during his internship with MHCR, Jonathan Fang and his supervisor, Rowda Olad, a mental health and psychosocial support expert and associate director of the MHCR, came upon the idea of developing a series of student-focused conversations on difficult, but relevant topics to students and inviting different cultural and ethnic student groups to participate.

Honor College student Cashlyn Bonds said her time at George Mason University has been defined by her passion for justice, human security, and international understanding.  

As a graduate student working to obtain her Conflict Analysis and Resolution masters through the accelerated masters program, Merisa Mattix is passionate about assisting and guiding Honors College students as they navigate their initial semester of research through the class: "I love learning about the vast variety of ideas that students come up with and helping them pursue their interests."

Passionate about travelling and exploring different perspectives, Conflict Analysis and Resolution Senior Melaina Kuhl deeply appreciates the people, experiences, and self-growth she underwent through abroad opportunities at George Mason University: "I learned different things from different places."

From his undergraduate to PhD studies, Keil Eggers emphasizes the critical role of mutual discussion and understanding of perspectives between parties to resolve conflicts and foster long-lasting peace: "Peace doesn’t exist as a final outcome, but rather as a continual process of discovering how we can live together."

University Scholar Avery Shippen's intersecting interests in design and the public sector, reflected in the junior's double major in Conflict Analysis and Resolution & Art and Visual Technology, led her unexpected journey to the Carter School as she strives to make a positive difference in the world: "I want to find a way to include creative processes to help marginalized communities recover after conflict."

As a Conflict Analysis and Resolution major whose time in Beijing, China taught him to appreciate diversity sophomore Jonathan Fang values the opportunity to engage with perspectives that are different from his own at George Mason University: "I want to use these experiences to help make the world more peaceful and united."

Grace McIntyre is an incoming student in the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution who is in the Honors College.