Students are at the heart of each year’s degree celebration and we are delighted to announce that our speakers for the CHSS Degree Celebration Ceremonies are both recent CHSS graduates.
Our speakers will be Liana Montecinos, BA Philosophy and Foreign Languages ’09, now an attorney with Benach Collopy, LLP, and Dr. Alexandra Sims, BA Anthropology ’09, a primary care pediatrician and health services researcher at Children’s National Health System.
Ms. Montecinos faced unimaginable hurdles in her life as an undocumented child in Virginia, but nothing could stop her from striving to be her best. With the help of George Mason University’s Early Identification Program, Montecinos earned a scholarship to attend Mason. After graduating in 2009, Ms. Montecinos went on to study law at the University of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. She graduated in May 2018 and was admitted to the practice of law in January 2019. Now, as a Honduran asylee, she serves her community as an immigration attorney at Benach Collopy, LLP, and as executive director of the non-profit United for Social Justice.
Dr. Sims is a primary care pediatrician and health services researcher at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. She attended George Mason University, and pursued a bachelor's degree in anthropology, while also completing the prerequisites for medical school, and graduated from Mason in 2009. Her medical career began at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. At GWU she developed her interests in patient advocacy and underserved populations. She completed her Pediatrics Residency at Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C., in the Community Health Track and served as Chief Resident for the 2016-2017 academic year. In 2018, Dr. Sims was recognized by George Mason University as a Top 50 Exemplar Alumnus. She serves as a devoted child heath advocate.
“These alumnae are compelling role models of service to our community,” said Ann Ardis, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Though they represent completely different academic disciplines, their academic backgrounds and careers reflect a determination and a spirit of dedication to helping others that should be inspiring to everyone who hears them speak at our degree celebrations. I am looking forward to it!”
We hope you can join us in these celebrations. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@GeorgeMasonCHSS) and tag us in your photos using the hashtag #CHSSGrad19 to share your graduation experience.
May 10, 2019
