Lisa Shaw

ICAR is proud to announce that the undergraduate Conflict Analysis and Resolution Program (CAR) advisor, Lisa Shaw, received the George Mason University 2006-2007 Advisor of the Year Award. Lisa, a 2007 Masters graduate from ICAR, is now the Student Services coordinator for the undergraduate program. Her region of interest throughout her graduate studies has been Latin America with particular emphasis on the Chiapas conflict in Mexico, immigration from Central America, and the impact of immigration on non-traditional receiving communities in the United States. Her thesis is entitled Beyond the Border: Public Policy and Irregular Migrants in Northern Virginia Municipalities.

“I feel the study is significant because non-traditional small towns and cities in the United States are beginning to deal with the arrival of large numbers of immigrants, and may benefit from an analysis of factors that contribute to conflict within communities around the issue of immigration,” says Shaw.

As a member of ICAR’s Latin American and Caribbean Working Group (LACWG), Lisa developed an idea to create an event around the issue of immigration in local communities. As a team, the LACWG worked for eight months to create a dialogue in Manassas/Prince William County, Virginia with a community that has been experiencing increased tensions regarding the number of undocumented immigrants in the community, and the legislation being produced at the city and county level. “Needless to say, the most rewarding aspect of my job is working with our students, whose depth, caliber and personal experiences with conflict translates into students who are genuinely interested in pursuing the somewhat non-traditional degree of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and adventurous enough to pursue the maze of opportunities this degree prepares them for,” Shaw said.