On September 8, the Middle East Studies Program welcomed our MA cohort back to campus with our first annual Student-Alumni Networking Mixer. Held at GW’s Alumni House, the mixer is part of a broader initiative to form mentoring relationships between alumni and current graduate students. The event included a reception and a speed networking session that allowed small groups of students to visit with each alumnus and alumna in attendance.

Moving forward, the alumni volunteers and current students will be matched for purposes of general career and professional mentorships and/or advising on the students’ MA capstone projects, which are the culmination of the two-year Master’s program. The alumni in attendance represented many fields, including journalism, consulting and risk analysis, diplomacy, development, and law enforcement. Middle East Studies BA and MA alumni can still get involved. For more information, please contact IMES Associate Director Shana Marshall: smarshall@gwu.edu.