Ashish Hingle, Candidate for Executive Vice President
Graduate Degree Program: Doctoral student, Information Technology, College of Engineering and Computing (full-time student)
Expected Date of Graduation: July 2024
Campus of Academic Department: Fairfax
Campus(es) of Classes, Work, and/or Residence: Fairfax & Mason Square (Arlington)
Biography and Candidate Statement
Ashish Hingle (he/him) is a Ph.D. and first-gen college student in the CEC at GMU and currently serves as the Director of Communications for GAPSA this academic year. During this appointment, Ashish led the charge in creating our new logo (perfect for sticking on your water bottle!), graphic design across the organization, and modernizing the branding of all our marketing materials on all our platforms. The new branding has been widely recognized and received across campus in creating an independent identity for GAPSA while still tying us back to Mason’s inclusive and diverse community – truly “All together, different.” Ashish’s current research interests include technology ethics, student self-efficacy, and information assurance challenges through a data-driven lens. He is currently working as a Graduate Researcher on an NSF grant looking at interactive ways to engage STEM students with ethical principles. Rather than simply lecturing about the need for ethics, the research uses role-play scenarios to allow students to take on different perspectives. Ashish participated as one of 25 students from across the world as a 2022 Summer Institute of Technology Ethics (SITE) Fellow. Before starting at GMU in the fall of 2020, Ashish graduated from sunny Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and a cross-disciplinary MBA + master’s degree in Information Assurance as a recipient of the Mercer Fellowship (awarded a total of 4 years). Ashish was highly involved on campus, serving on the Executive Board of multiple student organizations such as the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, Kellogg Honors College, Research Scholars Association, PolyTransfer, and the Market Research Club.
As a graduate student, I understand the importance of having a strong and vibrant student community. If elected as the Executive Vice President of Mason’s GAPSA, I am committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students and supporting the initiatives (financial, social, academic, or health) that affect graduate and professional students. My past experiences in GAPSA, both as the Director of Communications and as the inaugural Graduate Assembly representative for the Ph.D. in IT program, make me a strong candidate for the Executive Vice President position. My research and academic experiences have prepared me well for this multidisciplinary role. I hope to continue advocating on the issues that affect students across all our campuses; financial access to scholarships and stipends, mental health resources, social opportunities to build career and professional networks, and academic support. As Director of Communications, I worked closely with each Officer to do this, enabling access to the resources GAPSA creates and promotes. I also played a significant role in the annual interdisciplinary conference, building on and formalizing the branding for the event. As EVP, I will continue to ensure that all voices are heard and respected and find ways that can elevate graduate student representation. I am excited to have the opportunity to serve our diverse graduate student organization and look forward to the chance to continue to make a positive impact through GAPSA.
Availability and Commitment to the Time and Expectations of the Position
Yes, I will be able to meet the time commitments of the position. I currently work as a Graduate Research Assistant on campus but am working virtually for the most part. I expect to have 2 in-person classes on the Fairfax campus in the fall. In my past roles working with marketing, I have developed a 2-to-4 week lead time for marketing materials. At the beginning of each month, the schedule for marketing items is created, ensuring our community has ample time to be notified about upcoming events/deadlines/programs. Flyers are created and filled into the schedule, which makes actual posting on the day easier and allows for (unavoidable but expected) technical issues to be handled. I am a planner and can manage responsibilities across organizations well. This also naturally creates opportunities for cross-organization collaboration across campus.