Democracy Lab

Maria Cuesta’s passion for global politics, economics, and community service led her to the Schar School.

Members of the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Democracy Lab met former CIA director John Brennan following his appearance in a panel discussion hosted by the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security.

Location? Check. Access? Double check. When the White House wanted to invite students to help welcome Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese to Washington for a state visit, they reached out to George Mason University. Schar School of Policy and Government undergraduates were only too happy to answer the call.

Her undergrad degree is in political science, which works out great for Schar School students: Meet Lorena Jordan, the Schar School librarian. She does more than check out books.

Schar School students discover what happens inside the Council on Foreign Relations during a learning communities visit. (Good news: There are jobs and internships.)

The intelligence experts at the Schar School’s Michael V. Hayden Center took the stage and then took questions in an “ask me anything” forum.

Seven-term U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly visited the Schar School’s Democracy Lab. Here’s what the students learnedan

After a perilous journey through war-torn Ukraine, a freshman Schar School student looks forward to a new life. But she’s concerned for her parents who remained behind.

What better way for new students to bond than climbing a tower made of logs and ropes? Democracy Lab and International Relations Policy Task Force students did just that. Along with a few professors.

The first Democracy Lab living-learning community is in the books. Here’s what happened.