Honors College alumni Alex Neuman (International Politics; Russian and Eurasian Studies, ‘20) reflects on his past and future ambitions.
Celebrating Ivan Kupala—an Eastern Slavic holiday commemorating the summer solstice — in Poland inspired a new goal for alum Alex Neuman. When meeting some Ukrainian refugees impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war, Neuman had the opportunity to practice his Ukrainian. “They would stop and shake my hand,” he recalled, “and thank me for learning their language.”
After this heartwarming interaction, Neuman created a new goal for himself- to use his skills to engage with the people from this region, and to help alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Ukraine.
With the support of prestigious fellowships, Neuman has been pursuing this goal. Neuman’s first internship at George Mason University was with the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation in Washington, DC, so he saw this opportunity as coming full circle. “I think that this is one of the most important stories of my region of interest and my story personally. I'm very glad that I obtained my George Mason education just in time to make a difference in it.”
Neuman’s passion for public service grew during his time abroad as a middle school student, when his dad worked at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. Neuman valued the support George Mason offered as he pursued this passion as a first-generation college student. George Mason’s Office of Fellowships introduced him to various opportunities within public service, such as the Boren fellowship, a State Department Fellowship that has, in the past, helped to prepare participants with linguistic and cultural knowledge necessary to coordinate successful international relations. Experiences like these helped Neuman prepare for the experiences to come: “I really valued their support network, their mentorship, and their honest feedback,” he said. “They provided me with what I felt I lacked as someone that is not a legacy student and does not have immediate access to those types of space.”
Neuman credits various Honor College classes for impacting his later career, such as Honors 230: Adaptation to Climate Change with Dana Dolan. The interdisciplinary approach of the class allowed Neuman to investigate pressing environmental issues from the perspective of his ongoing curiosity about national security. This gave him the opportunity to create a unique project examining the changing international relations associated with the melting of the Arctic’s Sea.
Neuman had the opportunity to pursue his interests from his first semester on campus. In Honors 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry with Maoria Kirker, Neuman explored his interest in Russian civil military relations through with a semester long research project. In the class, he learned to research with academic rigor and cultivated his skills in professional writing. “I learned how to translate your inner voice into a compelling story for my target audience,” he recalled. “I believe I can credit those skills with being able to join the Boren program as a graduate student.”
His time with the Schar School of Policy and Government ‘s Global Politics Fellows program with Sergey Semolinko also played a major role in prepared him for his future engagement with the region. Studying the Ukrainian Presidential election and the communication strategy of then-candidate Volodymr Zelenskyy, he did not anticipate where his life would take him: "Little did I know that I would end up being very tied closely with Ukraine, reaching back to what I learned during that experience.”
Following his graduation in 2020, Neuman completed an online internship as a Russian to English translator with a niche area studies publication. He then served in the U.S. Air Force as a logistics planner in Nellis, Air Force Base, Nevada. There, he provided back-office support for the Red Flag exercise, an annual international air war game that prepares to defend America and our allies in the air and space.
Neuman advises prospective students to not allow barriers to stop them from achieving their goals. “Don't deter yourself. You may come with baggage from childhood, from where you grew up, what you were told you might reach in life. Don't let those thoughts stop you from pursuing your dreams.”