Buzz McClain

Saddam Salim came from Bangladesh as an 8-year-old. After bouts of homelessness and reliance on public support, the 2012 and 2015 Schar School graduate is now a Virginia state senator. But his public service journey is hardly over: He is now running for Congress. Read what the keynote speaker at the Degree Celebration will tell the audience on May 16.

A mistranslation in a medical setting can be dangerous. Two Schar School scholars developed an AI-generated platform to overcome language barriers—and have already won an award for it.

With the launch last year of the nonprofit Rise Above & Be Relentless Foundation, graduating Master of Global Policy and Commerce’s Sumeya Gibril created the support she wishes had been there for her. The inspiration for the charity, she said, “is me.”

A new minor, the only one of its kind in the Washington, D.C., region, teaches the arts of lobbying and advocacy. Read about the program and how a collaboration between a mentor and a student developed it.

The 2026 Peter N. Stearns Provost Scholar-Athlete Awards have been announced. Meet the four Schar School students who are not only elite athletes but elite scholars.

Researchers led by a team from the Schar School analyzed decades’ worth of data to draw a map of the world’s biggest buyers and sellers of illicit kidneys. See what nations perpetrate this international crime.

He’s traveled the world; speaks several languages; plays cello, balalaika, and dombra among other instruments; and writes op-eds about international security issues that are published in influential media outlets. And he’s 18. Meet graduating senior Josef Wolpert.

From Army officer to global educator, Mark Flanigan’s career spans continents, classrooms, and public service—shaped by curiosity, cultural exchange, and a commitment to connection. See how the 2006 graduate is giving back to the Schar School.

With NATO and U.S. relations in the headlines—and, apparently, on the rocks—this Schar School study-abroad trip to Europe’s international security landmarks was well timed.

Loveline Phillips never contemplated the academic path she found at the Schar School. But now that she’s discovered how her research skills can help others, there’s no stopping her.