Eelma Ahamed, Candidate for Vice President of Mason Square Campus

Eelma Ahamed, Candidate for Vice President of Mason Square Campus

Graduate Degree Program: Master’s student, Economics, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (full-time student)

Expected Date of Graduation: May 2026

Campus of Academic Department: Fairfax

Campus(es) of Classes, Work, and/or Residence: Fairfax, Mason Square (Arlington)

Biography and Candidate Statement

I am Eelma Ahamed, and I am currently in my second year of pursuing an MA in Economics at George Mason University. I am also working as a Teaching Assistant for the Microeconomics class at Cornell University in Washington, DC. Alongside my studies and part-time job, I participate in GAPSA as a student representative of my graduate program in the Economics department, with a keen interest in improving the graduate student experience here at GMU. Overall, the fall semester has been very self-fulfilling as I got the privilege to do Econ courses from some of the best professors I have met at GMU. Besides, I have been allowed to help undergrad students from Cornell with studies, and help graduate students from George Mason by contributing towards a better graduate experience, leading to a bright future ahead. Along with the sense of self-fulfillment, I feel nostalgic about approaching the end of my Masters at GMU and how I grew a strong form of attachment with the campus, especially with Mason Square where I spent my entire first year, completing the core courses of my degree and working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Scar School of Policy and Government in this year’s Summer semester. Thus, Mason Square feels like my second home now, a space where I have learned, grown, and built meaningful connections. Ergo, I am very eager to represent Mason Square as its Vice President in GAPSA so that I can carry out potential improvements and work for the betterment of its graduate and professional students. With more technical and infrastructural improvements, such as having the new hall, the Fuse hall, this is a crucial time to ensure that graduate and professional students have the resources, support, and environment they need to thrive. Overall, I feel both grateful and motivated to give back to the community that has supported me since the very beginning of my journey here at GMU. Serving as the Vice President of Mason Square would allow me to do exactly that. Having already contributed to enhancing the graduate student experience through my current work in GAPSA, I hope to expand my impact by representing the needs and voices of the Mason Square community more broadly. I would be truly honored if I could bring my commitment, experience, and the strong sense of connection to Mason Square into the Vice President role.

Availability and Commitment to the Time and Expectations of the Position

In Spring 2026, I will be enrolled as a full-time student at GMU. However, I will be taking only the remaining course to complete my degree. Apart from that, I do not seem to have any other commitments since my tenure as a TA at Cornell University is to end in December 2025. Therefore, I shall be able to fulfill the expected time allocated to a Vice President’s role in GAPSA. With sufficient time in hand, I will be able to arrange town halls and other programs in Mason Square to encourage the graduate and professional students to address the concerns and opinions they have about their overall experience at GMU. Eventually, I will be able to act as an effective communication bridge between the Mason Square community and GAPSA. Besides communicating with the students in Mason Square, I shall also allocate some time to meet the GAPSA advisors, attend regular meetings with the Executive Board, and hold voting seats in the General Assembly.