Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

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."

Senior of the Year Celine Apenteng has made an impact during her time at George Mason, and she isn’t done. After graduating this spring, the Silver Spring, Maryland, native will continue to pursue her master’s through the university’s accelerated master’s program.

Celine Apenteng may only have one biological sibling, but she regards nearly a dozen people from around the world as her sisters. This “extended family,” as she calls them, and Apenteng’s travels abroad, have had a profound impact on her view of education.

“There’s always something for you to learn,” said Apenteng, whose family has hosted exchange students from France, Moldova and Germany since she was 10. “Even if it’s not something new, the way somebody says something could impact how you think about it.”