BA in Human Development and Family Science

Aisun Abedinzadeh, 2025

What brought you to the School of Integrative Studies and the HDFS program?

When applying to college, I had not committed or came to a conclusive decision about what I wanted to study. I was exploring the majors that GMU offered for undergraduate students, and I came across HDFS. I found that this major aligned most with my interests because I always had a passion for working with individual and family populations, especially the youth. After exploring the HDFS major, I found that I would get to broaden my learning on how humans develop throughout their lifespan and how families interact or adapt based on the systems around them.

How did you decide on double majoring? 

As I was taking HDFS classes, some of my core and elective classes I could choose from were psychology-based. After taking a few psychology classes, I found that I really enjoyed learning about the human mind and behavior. After speaking with an advisor, I realized I had room in my schedule to add another major because of credits I transferred from high school. By the start of my junior year, I had declared a second major in psychology! 

Did you intern anywhere? If so, what was your role? What were your main responsibilities? How did you find this internship opportunity? What was a typical day like during your internship?

For the Fall 2025 semester, I chose to intern at ARTISAN, which stands for Accelerating Research Translation Integrated Student Ambassador Network. ARTISAN is part of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact at GMU. I found this internship opportunity through Handshake by filtering the options to on-campus jobs. Before I graduated, I wanted to gain experience in research, which is ultimately why I chose to intern at this site. My role as an ARTISAN Intern is engaging in research translation, highlighting the importance of research and technology translation to enable societal impact, and support educational experience through innovation and community engagement. My current responsibilities include researching existing resources available at GMU for undergraduate students to later expose students to resources they can become involved in with the existing research translation opportunities. As the semester continues and we collect more information, our team will organize and lead events, presentations, and activities to student groups about research translation for social impact purposes. This position mainly entails remote work. A typical day at this internship includes two meetings with the team to discuss updates and progress within the organization. After the meeting, my supervisor has set up “work hours/office hours,” where I am engaging in researching various organizations within George Mason and the state of Virginia that can benefit Mason undergraduate students. During these “office hours,” it is our set work hours, so my supervisor can reach me, if necessary, but the hours are flexible.

What skills did you gain or improve during your internship?

Some skills I have gained as an ARTISAN intern include better technological skills because of the remote nature of the job. I work closely with spreadsheets, communication channels, etc. Furthermore, I have gained skills in decision-making because I must find resources that not only benefit undergraduate students at Mason but also have research translation and practical impact for students. I have also enhanced communication skills as I must meet with my supervisor weekly and send progress reports. Before this internship, I was not aware of what research translation was. Through this internship, I have gained a foundational understanding of the concept through many discussions and research on the topic. Nonetheless, the most valuable thing I have learned through this internship is the importance of spreading awareness about academic success resources for students to enhance educational experiences and progress innovation at Mason. 

How did your coursework help you succeed in your internship?

I am currently enrolled in HDFS 499, and through this internship course, I complete various assignments and work through my capstone project. My coursework in HDFS 499 allows me to reflect on my internship and collaborate with the lead team at my internship to gain a greater understanding of research translation and the goals of the organization and how we can best support the community at Mason. My previous coursework in classes helped me with my internship because I learned how to conduct research and write literature reviews. I am hopeful to pursue a graduate program at the Master’s or PhD level, therefore, this internship positively influences my career goals, as I am developing my experiences within the field of research.