Caroline McCaig was visiting her grandmother in New York City when she found out that she had been awarded the Rachel Gradia Scholarship in support of her participation in Mason’s Global Politics Fellows program this fall.
“I hadn’t seen my grandmother in over two years, so receiving [this news] became an incredibly special moment between the two of us, since we don’t usually get to experience life-changing news when we are together,” she said.
Established in 2014 by the Family of Rachel Gradia, in the memory of Rachel who passed away as a Mason student, the scholarship offers a one-time grant worth $4,700 to support students enrolled in the Global Politics Fellows program, a 15-credit academic program designed for undergraduate students of the Schar School of Policy and Government and College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University.
“Receiving the scholarship took significant stress off of myself and my family,” McCaig said.
“I believe I received this scholarship due to my engagement in on-campus student groups,” she said. “By being a part of student groups, I demonstrated my understanding of forms of justice, and the ways that it can be obtained.”
McCaig is the current president of Student Power, Mason’s chapter of the grassroots Student Power organization which is focused on making education more affordable in Virginia. She is also president of Students for Richmond Public Schools, which she co-founded, and is active in Mason’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America.
“While change starts locally, having a global understanding of our struggles is necessary in obtaining true freedom,” she said.
McCaig and her Global Politics Fellows cohort will have the dual benefit of classroom style learning as well as an internship component which will afford them the opportunity to experience theory in action in the field of government and global affairs.
A rising junior majoring in government and international politics at the Schar School, with a minor in data analysis, her passion and drive towards a career in government and politics is evident in an already impressive resume that includes community service and leadership experience.
Schar School associate professor, Bassam Haddad, for whom McCaig has served as research assistant, sees her potential. "Caroline is an exemplary student. She is determined, inquisitive, and innovative; capable of succeeding in graduate studies as well as the private sector and the NGO world," he said.
The Richmond native has worked for the Democratic Party of Virginia as a voter engagement intern, and beginning this fall, she will be interning at the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America.
“I will be working with them on multiple committees, such as their migrant justice working group,” she said.
And where does she see herself in the next five years? “Maybe in law school, maybe working in international aid, [or] working at a non-profit,” she said.