Month: December 2014

If you plan to graduate after completing your Spring 2015 semester courses, it is time to apply to graduate.

Once you observe that your unofficial transcript reflects the correct information, follow the Registrar's instructions for submitting the online graduation application.

If you apply to graduate, please note the following:

• Submission of your online graduation application does not prompt a review of your eligibility to graduate – it informs the University of your intent to graduate at the conclusion of the semester.
• The degree audit and clearance process takes place at the conclusion of the semester after all final grades have been received and can take several weeks.
• Your diploma will be mailed to your designated diploma address within twelve weeks of your degree clearance.
• Information about Commencement Weekend 2015 will be posted online at http://commencement.gwu.edu as it becomes available.More detailed information regarding the Elliott School festivities will be posted, when it becomes available, at http://elliott.gwu.edu/commencement.

Participation in Commencement Weekend activities does not certify completion of degree requirements.

Congratulations on reaching this milestone!

 Krisztina Fabo is candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in International Affairs, with concentration in conflict resolution, at the Elliott School of International Affairs.  Krisztina is originally from Hungary. She was 18 when she completed high school in Hungary and decided to travel to Manchester, United Kingdom. She only planned to spend a summer there to improve her English, however due to unforeseen circumstances the poorly-planned summer ‘vacation’became a long-term commitment that changed her life forever.

After a tough year working 60-70 hours a week in a hotel she managed to save up enough funds to enroll in a Bachelors program at the University of Manchester. There she pursued a joint double-honors degree in Middle Eastern Studies and European language while studying Arabic and Russian languages and immersing herself in the cultures she was studying. First, Krisztina spent six months in Moscow studying and working full-time as an English-Russian Reciprocal Liaison Personnel at a prominent Russian firm. Next, she headed to Egypt to escape the harsh Russian winter. There she studied at the Arab Academy in Cairo for seven months and advanced her Arabic language knowledge while working with the Canada Egypt Business Council, a non-governmental organization on social events involveing ambassadors, chairmen and directors of other international organizations, Ministers of the Egyptian government, and other VIPs. While in Egypt she also observed many trials, from gender inequality harassment to situational exposure to the revolutionary movement. This experience allowed her to initiate a discussion series on women’s rights that was sponsored by the daughter of the late President Nasser, Mona Abdel Nasser.

Upon returning to Manchester to complete her studies, Krisztina was part of a pilot language program called ‘Languages XP’. Through the program she promoted diversity, cultures and language learning among young learners by designing and teaching classes of 45 complete-beginner students in Arabic and a smaller group of students in Russian and Hungarian.  Krisztina has also volunteered as a business-mentor at the Young Enterprise organization, in St. Louis, MO as a program coordinator for a recreational camp that aimed to give a lifetime experience to mentally and physically disabled adults and youths; and has translated her love for sports (she was the captain of the University’s women basketball team) to philantrophic activities by participating in several fundraising events through running half-marathons.

Since her arrival in DC, Krisztina has helped raise awareness and funding to support the homless youth by participating in the Covenant House’s Sleep Out. In spring 2015, she will intern with the United Nations, which is in line with her post-graduation goal to work at the United Nations Secretariat, in the Department of Political Affairs focusing on peacemaking and conflict resolution in the Middle East.