Tahmina Rahman is Mason’s 2021 Academic Advisor of the Year

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:58:31 +0000

Tahmina Rahman is Mason’s 2021 Academic Advisor of the Year Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 04/29/2021 - 12:58

Tahmina Rahman is the 2021 Academic Advisor of the Year.

Tahmina Rahman in George Mason University’s Honors College has been named the V. Ann Lewis Academic Advisor of the Year, in recognition of outstanding care and commitment to supporting undergraduates’ academic achievement.

Nearly 800 students nominated 130 advisors from across the university for the award.

“Winning this award is a reminder of the generosity and kindness of my students,” Rahman said. “I have always been blessed to work with wonderful students, and the Honors College students at Mason have been among the most kind, respectful, and amazing students I have worked with thus far in my career.”

Rahman, who is originally from Bangladesh and immigrated to the United States at age 6, said working with students and helping them persevere and achieve in their academic journey is her favorite part of the job.

When Hannah Milikich, a junior double-majoring in biology and chemistry, went to her first academic advising appointment, she said she was very nervous and did not know what to expect. But Rahman’s kind and welcoming nature immediately put her at ease.

“Ms. Rahman helped me figure out everything I needed to know about my schedule and how to prepare for classes moving forward,” Milikich said.

“I love how proactive she is, which she always shows by asking questions about my future plans and how I want to prepare,” Milikich said, adding that if Rahman wasn’t an expert in a specific area, she would do the research and refer her to people and resources who could help. “You really can’t find a better, more helpful advisor.”

In Rahman’s nominations, students also wrote about how she has also been a source of support, motivating them to strive for their personal best.

“This award wouldn’t have been possible without the support, unconditional love, and welcoming spirit of my Honors College colleagues, my supervisor Vanessa Correa, and the advising community at Mason,” Rahman said. “I wouldn’t be able to effectively advise my students if I couldn’t lean on and learn from my colleagues.”

The top 10 Mason advisors who received the most student nominations were also recognized by the university:

Robert Yi, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Michael Hurley, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Claudia Borke, College of Engineering and Computing
Krystal Dains, College of Engineering and Computing
Jaclyn Beasley, School of Business
Maria Perez, College of Health and Human Services
Valerie Olmo, College of Science
Thomas Winston, College of Engineering and Computing
Sara Simanski, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Lori Yi, College of Visual and Performing Arts

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Academic Advising

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Honors College

Faculty and Staff News

The Associate Dean bonded with Honors students over freshly baked cookies

alin23 — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 17:22:11 +0000

The Associate Dean bonded with Honors students over freshly baked cookies alin23 Tue, 04/07/2020 - 13:22

Focused Honors LLC students making cookies "In the Kitchen" with Dean Allbeck! Interested in what kind of cookies they're making? Keep reading below! Photo by Sophia Chapin.

On Thursday, February 27, Honors students joined Dean Allbeck, the Associate Dean of the Honors College, for an evening of baking cookies in the Hanover Hall Kitchen. For the Dean, baking provides a sense of accomplishment in a tangible, delicious form. It also connects her to her grandmother, who was well known in their community for her cakes.

“When I bake, I think of her and feel like I’m paying homage,” said Dean Allbeck.

Photo by Sophia Chapin.

The Dean’s love for baking is evident in the tasty treats that she has become known for around the Honors College. This encouraged Telecia Taylor, the Living Learning Community Coordinator for the Honors College, to develop a way for faculty to better interact with students outside the classroom.

“We started with Dean Allbeck because she is a phenomenal baker. […] We definitely wanted to share her passion with the students,” said Taylor.

For the event, Dean Allbeck chose to bake vegan spiced pumpkin-raisin cookies and separated the students into small groups to put the ingredients together. The students all had varying degrees of comfort in baking, and Dean Allbeck helped each group along the way with measuring and mixing.

Once the cookie dough was molded and placed onto trays, the students enjoyed eating the leftover dough and chatted with Dean Allbeck as the cookies baked. Students received advice on academics and crocheting while learning more about Dean Allbeck’s love of Legos and her four cats.

While students attended the event for the promise of cookies, like freshman Statistics major Nicholas Szymonik, they also came with the intent of getting to know the Dean better.

“I’ve talked to Dean Allbeck before, and I love that she is a really cool person,” said freshman Computer Science major Mariana Ritchie, who enjoyed that this event provided her the opportunity to further that connection.

The event concluded with everyone enjoying the freshly baked cookies that they worked to make together. Students walked away with lessons in baking, funny anecdotes about Dean Allbeck, and a delightful dessert for after dinner.

Freshly baked vegan spiced pumpkin-raisin cookies made by Associate Dean Jan Allbeck and Honors LLC students! Photo by Sophia Chapin.