Name-Dilan Wickrema
Major- Global Affairs
Minor- Intelligence Analysis & Geographic Information Systems
Class Year- Junior
Hometown- Glenview, IL
Name-Philip Abbruscato
Major- Government & International Politics
Minor- Legal Studies & Public Policy Management
Class Year- Junior
Hometown- Lindenhurst, NY
What are your thoughts about serving as the President and Vice President of Student Government this upcoming academic year?
Phil- We both consider it an honor and a privilege to serve the student body.
Dilan- In addition to new ideas, we are looking forward to implementing some projects from previous years.
Do you have any initial plans during your service term?
Dilan- We are looking to reach out to administrators in the local Fairfax community and Richmond constituents.
Phil- We have some short term and long term goals from our platform. Our focus will attempt to extend to all aspects of students’ daily life here at Mason.
How did you two meet and team up as running mates?
Phil- Dilan and I have been in Student Government since our first year at Mason. Some of our responsibilities overlapped. We thought our experiences complemented each other nicely.
Dilan- We both considered running for positions and our goals matched up nicely. It was a natural fit.
What is your involvement outside of Student Government?
Dilan- I am a brother of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and former Risk Manger for the fraternity. I am the current treasurer of the Intelligence Community Club. I am a former Head Team member of the Patriot Leader staff. I am also a member of Lambda Alpha Epsilon American Criminal Justice Association.
Phil- I am the Vice President of Events for the Mason Ambassadors and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science honor society. I also work in the office of Student Involvement focusing on graphic design projects.
What has been your favorite class?
Dilan- I enjoyed EVPP 337, Environmental Policy Making in Developing Countries. We discussed food security and its impact on developing regions. We analyzed current events and connected back to scholarly reading and academic research. Dr. Deborah Kopsick taught the class. She was able to share a wealth of real world knowledge with the class.
Phil- My favorite class is GOVT 423, Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties with Dr. Laura Walker. I took the class my sophomore year and it was my first exposure to dissecting case law. I appreciated Dr. Walker’s breakdown of historic cases. It confirmed my passion of legal studies.
What are your goals after graduating from Mason?
Dilan- I am considering internationally focused graduate programs. I would like to work for the World Bank or any other international trade organization to focus on building trade relations between countries. My hope is to help raise the standard of living for all people.
Phil- I would like to continue on to law school. I am interested in government contracting and corporate or administrative law.
What is your most meaningful experience at Mason?
Dilan- Getting involved and taking advantage of all of the enriching opportunities at Mason has allowed me to make the most of my time here in college.
Phil- I echo Dilan’s statement. All of the social and academic activities made being a student such a meaningful experience.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would you pick and why?
Dilan- I would like to have dinner with Henry Kissinger and pick his brain. I would like to hear about all of his adventures. I would also ask him for advice about the future of our civilization.
Phil- It would be great to dine with Dwight D. Eisenhower. He would make for a great conversation partner. He could also bring Richard Nixon to the table to discuss “what really happened.”
April 30, 2014