Interviews by Huong Cao, Staff Writer, Mia Wise, Staff Writer  and Dinanda Pramesti, Lifestyle Editor

Staff: Michael Hunter, Access Service Specialist at Fenwick Library

What is your position at Fenwick Library?

• Outside of providing circulation and information services, which is everything from checking out books to doing research and reference questions. I also work in interlibrary loan and in the reserve section — so if an instructor is setting up the courses, we help them put their course materials together to provide that content for their courses. If George Mason doesn’t in our interlibrary loan, we find it and deliver it to whoever is asking for it.

How long have you been doing your job and what did you do before this?

• I have been doing this job for a year and a half. Before this, I was a teacher in Prince William County Public Schools.

Do you have experience in being a librarian?

• I do, I have my masters degree in Library Information Science. For Library Information Science, it’s not just about books, it’s about information and the management of information and how you find and disseminate information. You know, “fake news” is a buzzword now, and it’s a lot of that, finding the good from the bad. Finding what people want to know, interpreting questions of what people think they want to know versus what they actually need to know. Basically, the management of information.

Photo by Mary Jane DeCarlo

Organization: Alexis Loar  – Vice President of Publicity – Patriot Activities Council (PAC)

• Why did you decide to get involved with PAC?

I decided to get involved with PAC because I am interested in pursuing a career in public relations. With my current role in PAC, I’m allowed to plan and promote events, which is something I want to do for the rest of my life. For me, it’s basically an internship. Through PAC, I have obtained so many opportunities, I have met new people, and I have made friends and memories. We’ve had an awesome time changing the environment that we have here on campus.

• How does PAC differ from other organizations on campus? (What is unique about PAC?)

We are a student-run organization that bridges the gap between various Mason communities by having awesome events all year round. The different thing between us and other organizations is that we are here for all Mason students. We are not a cultural or political group or promoting a specific interest. We are here to serve the entire Mason community and find areas that we can bring different organizations or groups together to one space and have them enjoy Mason’s experience of diversity.

• Does PAC have any upcoming events?

We are having our awesome Superheroes Series where students can come and watch the latest superhero movies. Next month, we are showing “The LEGO Batman Movie” in the JC Cinema. This event is free for Mason students – we will also serve snacks and popcorn!

Photo by Mary Jane DeCarlo

Student: Lauren Lapid

What organizations are you involved with on campus?

I’m an active sister in the Chi Kappa chapter of Chi Omega here at Mason, a Peer Research Mentor for the Honors College, a member of Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, a member of AIGA Mason, and a Mason Ambassador.

What made you want to get involved on campus?

Being an out-of-state student, I knew I wanted to establish myself on campus, keep myself busy, but also develop a close-knit group of friends that would help me get through college being 2,000 miles away from my family. I’ve always kind of been an extroverted person involved on campus, and so I was daunted but also excited at the prospect of going to a school where nobody knew me or had any other expectations of me. Getting involved on campus became a platform for me to not only socialize and network, but also to discover and develop who I am as a person.

What drew you to Mason?

I actually hadn’t seriously considered leaving California for college until I attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) that Mason holds for high school students. I attended the summer before my senior year of high school and fell in love with DC and what Mason has to offer. Getting accepted into the Honors College was also a huge factor, because I knew I wanted to attend a university rather than an art institution for undergrad. Getting the interdisciplinary coursework the Honors College provides in addition to Mason’s strong art school and business program made the choice a no-brainer!

You’ve had internships at Paramount Pictures and Adobe; how were those experiences?

My department [at Paramount Pictures] is really unique because we deal with pretty much any sort of deliverable that touches a theater—whether it’s a collector’s ticket, movie still displays, or even movie prize packs. This summer, a large amount of my work went toward “Transformers: The Last Knight”, so I actually got to design social posts for prize pack giveaways for different theater circuits. Literally thousands of people saw and interacted with posts I designed, so it was incredible to see what impact I was able to make.

Photo Courtesy of Allie Thompson