Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Occupation: Program Coordinator, Council on Foreign Relations
Major at GS: Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Path to GS: Left high school at 16 to pursue dream; Intensive dance training; Professional Ballet Dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet
Graduation Year: 2004
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Mason Beard
"When I decided to retire from my career as a professional ballet dancer, I accepted with some trepidation that I would be starting from scratch as I pursued jobs outside the dance world. Matriculating at General Studies enabled me to lose that fear and make a full-fledged commitment to the new direction of my life. Courses like Regime Change in the Middle East and Late Ottoman State and Society, combined with the skills and relationships I developed in student groups like the General Studies Student Council, prepared me to excel in a position at an influential foreign policy institution. My college experience turned a difficult career transition into an amazing opportunity for intensive academic and social exploration, and ultimately, helped me discover a whole new world!"
David Drury
Name: David Drury
Hometown: Montgomery, New York
Major at GS: American History
Path to GS: Retired New York City Firefighter; Rescue Operations Instructor for New York City Fire Dept.; developed Spanish program for New York State Fire Academy; designed and built family home (twice).
"I may not look like a typical college student, but on this campus I feel like one, even though I have three college-aged sons. They are proud that I’ve gone back to school, and their support helps keep me focused. My goal is to major in American History and possibly teach high school. I am thankful to be here, and I look forward to each and every one of my classes. If I had a wish list, I couldn’t add to it."
Lauren McFall
Hometown: Los Altos, California
Major at GS: Political Science
Path to GS: Olympic athlete; that’s really all I had time to do; seriously.
“When I was training as a synchronized swimmer, I was in the pool too early to watch the morning news, and after a 10-hour day of training, I was too exhausted to do anything but fall asleep. I felt pretty out of touch with the world outside of swimming. After competing in the Olympics, I wanted to see what other challenges awaited me, so I applied to GS. It’s comforting that I’m not the only person who took an alternate path to follow an extraordinary dream. Now, I’m working toward the next one. And the nice difference between academics and synchronized swimming—when I study, I don’t have to hold my breath.”