GIA Scholars

Congratulations to Mason's Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholars!

Jennifer Ayerza is a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. In 2021, she received her B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Criminology (with a concentration on forensic behavioral sciences) from California State University, Fresno. Jennifer’s research interests center on sexual offending, computer-mediated communications, cyber violence, deviancy, and online victimization. Specifically, her research focuses on technology-facilitated sexual violence, particularly focusing on the dynamics of impersonation and deception within online dating applications. She has solo-authored a book chapter under review on online dating application violence, made contributions to co-authoring a forthcoming book chapter on cybercrime, and is involved in multiple ongoing projects exploring various aspects of online interpersonal violence.

Drew Bonner is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University (GMU) and serves as a Graduate Researcher within the Center for Social Science Research. Drew’s research is centered on community health, with a particular focus on the intersections of health policy, institutional infrastructure, social infrastructure, education and community efficacy. He seeks to supports  health equity initiatives for underserved communities through his research on food access and food apartheid. Motivated by his engagement with social justice, food justice and research promoting community wellness, Drew’s academic engagements interrogate how food insecurity and health disparities are institutionalized. In his professional capacity, he collaborates with organizations focused on community-based food access and nutrition education.

Briana Davis (She/Her) is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate lecturer in the department of Communication at George Mason University. She earned a B.S in Communication Studies from Radford University (V.A) and a M.A in Strategic Communication from High Point University (N.C). Briana's previous research experience and interest include Quantitative, Qualitative, and Critical methodology, Interpersonal Communication, Strategic Communication, and the intersections of Race, Gender, and Class. She takes particular interest in exploring race, gender, and class in urban instructional environments. Her goal is to use her research to develop and further policies that benefit urban education, urban youth, and teacher practices. 

Diana Del Valle is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) candidate at George Mason University. Her DNP work focuses on improving pediatric oral health outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. Drawing on her extensive clinical nursing experience and her background in public health, Diana examines the intersections of healthcare policy, provider education, and community engagement. In her DNP project, she is leading an initiative to train BSN and NP students in oral health assessment and education, utilizing culturally competent approaches to empower families and enhance lifelong oral health behaviors. Diana's work integrates global health perspectives with local advocacy, aiming to influence state-level policy and expand access to equitable dental care for children in Virginia. With a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and equity-driven solutions, Diana seeks to advance healthcare practices that address systemic disparities and promote lasting community well-being.

Javonna Friend is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at GMU. Javonna earned her B.A. in English from Virginia State University and her M.A. in English from George Mason University with a specialization in British Literature from Oxford University. During her graduate studies, she became interested in the representation of race and illnesses in prose and media. Through deep examination, she recognized how public health advocacy can sometimes lack proper communication and conform to hegemonic ideals. To that end, Javonna realized her desire to evaluate critical issues in health communication. Thus, her research interests are mainly in exploring and developing the connections between health communication, social justice, and advocacy that will illuminate the relationship between social conditions and health outcomes and provide the necessary insights to reduce the prevalence of chronic illnesses in marginalized communities. She is also interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating health communication strategies to change attitudes, actions, and approaches to mental health in African American communities.

Jade Jehad Halawani is a doctoral candidate at the College of Education, George Mason University. Her research focuses on teacher qualification and professional development in the Global South. Drawing on her international experiences in Palestine and the United States, Jade critically examines the intersections of education policy, teacher development, and socio-political contexts, particularly in under-resourced regions. Jade has extensive experience in learning technologies design research and evaluation, with a particular emphasis on STEM teaching and learning programs, as well as professional development for STEM educators. Her work bridges global education frameworks with localized practices, advocating for culturally responsive education systems and innovative professional development models to enhance teaching efficacy in diverse, international contexts.

Rafael is a Ph.D. student in the clinical psychology program at Mason. He earned a dual B.S. (2019) from Virginia Commonwealth University in psychology with a concentration in addiction studies, and philosophy with a concentration in philosophy and science. Previous to Mason, he worked as a research assistant in projects focused on culturally enhancing substance use interventions for Latinx adolescents and young adults. He is interested in Latinx community-oriented research, and the impact of sociocultural-spiritual factors in the development or buffering of psychopathology. He is also interested in culturally enhancing construct measurement, assessment, and interventions. He enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with family.

Timmia King is a fourth-year doctoral student in the History and Art History program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and is working on the History and Culture Access Consortium (HCAC) project. Timmia earned a dual Master of Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies and the Master of Library Science at Indiana University Bloomington in 2021 and her Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies at Howard University in 2014. She is passionate about advocating for Black people’s representation and participation in all aspects of the archival process. Timmia’s research interests focus on Community Archiving, Personal Archiving, and Personal Digital Archiving in Black communities. Her work focuses on examining Black Archival Theory and practice.

Patricia Mejia is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program. Her research and clinical work explore the intersection of psychological and physical health, with an emphasis on increasing access to integrated services for underrepresented populations. Grounded in liberation psychology, she employs multi-method healing approaches to address systemic healthcare injustices and dismantle barriers that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. As a Scientist-Practitioner-Activist, Patricia is dedicated to bridging gaps in healthcare access and promoting holistic well-being. In her free time, she enjoys sitting with nature, squeezing her family, and savoring doughnuts.

Gifty Mensah is a first-generation college student that was part of the first GIA cohort at Mason. She earned her doctoral degree in Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology from George Mason University in 2022. Gifty also earned her master’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology & Infectious Diseases at Mason. Prior to her admission into the PhD program, she interned at Inova Fairfax Hospital and worked at Quest Diagnostics where she got her first exposure to clinical laboratory functions and developed a keen interest in the field. Gifty was a doctoral student in the Biosciences program and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the undergraduate Microbiology department. She worked in the molecular virology lab of Dr. F. Kashanchi. Her research focus was on the role extracellular vesicles play in viral infections such as HIV-11,2,4 and HTLV-13,5. Her research aim was to discover more effective therapeutics that can mitigate the devastating effects of these viral infections.  During her time in the Biosciences program, she participated in the publication of five peer-reviewed scientific articles, two of them co-first authored. She presented her research at local and educational meetings including Mason’s School of Systems Biology Research Day and Graduate Interdisciplinary conferences; as well as national conferences such as the Extracellular Vesicles and Infections conference and the American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles annual meeting. She is currently focusing on understanding the role of exosomes and how they affect diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s in relation to infections.

João Pereira is a second-year Physics Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Science at GMU. He holds dual Bachelor's of Science degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Maryland. Originally from Portugal, João moved to the U.S. with his family when he was eight and has lived in Maryland since then. His current research centers on predicting strong solar flare events using parameter- and image-based machine-learning techniques. Through this work, he aims to enhance our ability to anticipate different solar activities and understand their driving mechanisms. João has presented his research at the Solar Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE 2024) Workshop, and will present at the upcoming American Geophysical Union (AGU24) conference. You can often find him at various science outreach events, enthusiastically explaining some fun space weather concepts to anyone he meets. He hopes to make lasting contributions to the space weather and solar physics communities, while also inspiring future generations of scientists.

Sky is a third year doctoral student in the Mathematics PhD program at George Mason University. They recently completed their master's degree in Mathematics while on said PhD track. While they've been a resident of Fairfax for a few years now, they originally come from a small town in upstate New York deep in the Adirondacks. It was there that they received their BS at St. Lawrence University with a focus on mathematics and chemistry. They were also initially introduced to fellow first generation students during their undergraduate degree via the McNair program and are happy to find similar representation within the GIA Scholars cohort. They identify as nonbinary and enjoy creating digital art and partaking in TTRPGs within their fellow LGBTQIA+ community on their off time.

May Santiago is a cultural studies scholar and essay filmmaker. She is a PhD candidate in the Cultural Studies program at George Mason University. Her work focuses on Puerto Rican cinema, particularly at the intersection of horror, queer, and feminist studies. She is also a filmmaker who has had films screened at Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, Ax Wound Film Festival, Panama Horror Film Festival, and Wench Film Festival. She was named one of the rising voices within video essayists in Sight & Sound in 2023. She has also published chapters in Amazon: At the Intersection of Culture and Capital, The Oxford Handbook of Black Horror Film, Rock Music Studies, and MAI: Journal of Feminism and Visual Culture.