October 2014 – Elliott School Graduate Student Services

Spotlight on: David Medina

GradAdvisorOctober 28, 2014Leave a comment

David Medina is a candidate for the M.A. in International Affairs degree with a focus on International Law and Organizations at the Elliott School. David considers Boston, MA and Medellin, Colombia as his home. His passion for the study of international affairs was prompted by the desire to understand the political and social strife of the country his family emigrated from at a young age and the growing interconnectedness between countries.

In 2009, David graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, where he majored in Political Science and Spanish with a concentration on Latin American Studies. After graduating, David worked as an educator at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. In his five years working in education, David served in the History department, taught Geography, coached in the soccer, lacrosse, and basketball programs, mentored and advised individual students and student-led organizations, implemented community service projects domestically and abroad, and helped establish programming to advance cross-cultural competency and diversity work at the institution as the Assistant Director of Diversity. Additionally, David has taught and traveled expansively in Spain, Egypt, Colombia, and Bolivia. In 2013, David was a featured speaker at the National Partnership for Educational Access where he advocated for the importance of educational programming to underserved neighborhoods. David currently sits on the Alumni Council of the Steppingstone Foundation, a non-profit academic program that serves elementary school students in the Greater Boston area. David enjoys community service and an active life; he has run in five Boston marathons and hopes to fundraise and participate in more races in the future.

Completing Your Initial Plan of Study

GradAdvisorOctober 6, 2014Leave a comment

Attention students who began programs this fall: Your Plan of Study is due October 15^th.

The Plan of Study outlines the degree requirements for each Elliott School graduate program. This is an evolving document, and we expect you to make changes and updates to your plan as you progress through your program. But you should fill out the plan of study completely with your best guess of the classes you intend to take and the semesters in which you will take them.

The Process

Locate your program’s plan of study on the Elliott School website under Forms & Applications.
Review your program’s curriculum using the Elliott School website.
Using blue or black ink, or typing directly into the form (save a copy to your desktop first), enter complete course information and the semester you intend to complete each course on the form in the appropriate space.
Submit your form to your program director for review. If you plan to meet with your program director to discuss your plan, we strongly encourage doing this well in advance of the October 15 deadline.
Deliver your completed plan of study, signed by your Program Director, to the Office of Academic Advising and Student Services (1957 E Street NW, Suite 302). You do not need an appointment to submit your plan of study (you are of course welcome to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor if you have questions). You can also email your Plan of Study to advising@gwu.edu or fax it to 202-994-9537.
Your plan of study will be reviewed by your Academic Advisor. Once reviewed, you will receive an electronic copy of your plan of study. This process can take up to 3 weeks. Therefore, we encourage you to complete your plan of study and submit it to Academic Advising in advance of the deadline. All plans received on or before the October 15 deadline will be returned to students before Spring 2015 registration begins.

Failure to submit a completed plan of study, signed by your Program Director, by October 15^th will result in an administrative hold on your account which will prevent you from registering for Spring 2015 classes. Forms received after the deadline are subject to this hold. If the plan is received late, we will do our best to remove the hold as soon as possible, but this will not happen immediately.

Getting to know your academic advisor

GradAdvisorOctober 3, 2014Leave a comment

We are excited to introduce the new advisor alpha-breakdown for Elliott School graduate students. Effective October 6, 2014 graduate students will be assigned to an advisor based on their last names.

Carla Gripp (formerly Arismendy)
Graduate Advisor for graduate students with last names A-H

Where are you from? I am originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, but grew up in West Palm Beach, FL.

What is your educational background? BA in Political Science from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!); JD from St. Thomas University School of Law; MA in Higher Education Administration (2015, Candidate) from The George Washington University

What is your favorite thing about DC? The monuments (my favorite is the Lincoln Memorial), museums, and the Cherry Blossom Festival!

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Qyana Reddon
Graduate Advisor for graduate students with last names I-So

Where are you from? I am a Maryland native.

What is your educational background: Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Bowie State University; Master of Social Work from University of Maryland, Baltimore

What is your favorite thing about DC? Taste of DC and the plethora of restaurants to choose from.

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Angela Martin
Associate Director of Graduate Advising & Advisor for graduate students with last names Sp-Z

Where are you from? I am from the central-east coast of Florida.

What is your educational background? Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations from University of Central Florida; M.Ed. Higher Education from University of Florida (Go Gators!)

What is your favorite thing about DC? Unlike Florida, there's more than one season-- Fall is my favorite!
You can schedule an appointment with your assigned advisor here. If you scheduled an upcoming appointment prior to receiving this email, your existing appointment has been migrated to your assigned advisor’s calendar.

Spotlight on: Nicole Catá

GradAdvisorOctober 1, 2014Leave a comment

Nicole Cata Nicole Catá is a joint-degree candidate at The George Washington University, where she studies International Human Rights Law at the Law School and Global Gender Policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Since coming to DC in 2011, she has served as a judicial intern at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, a research assistant to Judge Thomas Buergenthal, a legal intern at National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a student attorney and legal fellow at GW Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, and a government relations legal intern at the Center for Reproductive Rights. She is currently working as a law clerk at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, the world’s leading immigration law firm, and as a volunteer at the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition.

At the Elliott School, she serves as the Lead Graduate Student Ambassador for the Office of Academic Advising and Student Services, where she helps give current Elliott School graduate students the opportunity to share their experiences with incoming students and collaborate on program and event planning to support the academic mission and enhance the sense of community within the Elliott School. Nicole graduated with a major in English & Comparative Literature and concentrations in human rights and French from Columbia University in May 2011.

Attention students who began programs this fall: Your Plan of Study is due October 15th.

Attention students who began programs this fall: Your Plan of Study is due October 15^th.