Greg Johnson

With stock trading apps like Robinhood, Webull, Charles Schwab, and countless others gaining massive popularity over the past few years, especially since COVID, Ashok Margam, a finance term assistant professor at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, saw an opportunity.

Previously lacking much direction in his education or prospective career, Dante Tatem, a senior studying marketing, utilized resources available to him to succeed at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University and secure a job after graduation.

Led by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) within the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, the Patriot Pitch Competition supports early-stage business ventures and ideas from Mason students and recent alumni. On April 11, the finalists made their final pitches on the Fairfax Campus. 

To mark the beginning of a broader academic connect between George Mason and leading universities in Viet Nam, the Costello College of Business and University Libraries officially opened a special exhibition in partnership with the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and received their donation of rare books to the university's special collections.

The students’ trip to the headquarters showed them how they could apply what they have learned in the classrooms as future professionals, whether it be at the SEC or elsewhere.

On the morning of Friday, March 1, Christine Landoll, director of business engagement at the Costello College of Business, welcomed guests to the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory, or “body farm,” on George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus in Prince William County.

Co-founded in 2018 by Trevor Montano, BS Accounting ’00, and Derek Horstmeyer, a professor of finance at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, the Montano Student Investment Fund (SMIF) is an all-equity investment fund administered by finance students at the Costello College of Business.

Zachary Risseeuw, a senior studying business analytics, worked with the Office of Career Services within the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University to prepare for the accounting firm’s exhaustive interview process. 

Shabinaaz Mahdi, BS Accounting ’12, discovered a passion for accounting at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University. While in school, she was introduced to Baker Tilly, a leading advisory tax and assurance firm, where she has risen through the ranks to become partner.

The Patriot Pitch Competition, presented by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, takes place on April 11, 2024 on Mason’s Fairfax Campus and is open to all Mason students (graduate, undergraduate, and PhD) and recent alumni regardless of field of study.