Nicole Pearson, S-CAR Undergrad Student

In fall 2014, Nicole Pearson moved to the Washington, D.C. area from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to study conflict analysis and resolution at Mason. “I knew this was something I would love to get a degree in as I had always considered myself to be a healer and problem solver.” Since then, she has been enjoying her academic life and has come to learn about herself and from people she has encountered. Nicole, who says she suffers from “wanderlust,” loves to travel and desires to see the world and experience different cultures. Although she admitted that she had not seen as much of the world like she would have liked to, one of the regions she has visited is the Middle East. “I spent some time in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. I found that the conflict there was so multifaceted and it became an illuminating experience that challenged me both analytically and ideologically.” When Nicole returned to the U.S., one of the things that made her frustrated were one-sided views from people who almost claimed to be authorities on the conflict in the region but never actually studied or experienced it. In talking about negative media, Nicole said, “We only really get to see a lot of the negatives that come out of the region but that negativity is a common tendency I think we see everywhere, even in our own media, so I felt an obligation to go, see it for myself and give the narrative of my experience.” All of her traveling experiences have also made Nicole "very humble and culturally aware." “It's hard to understand how intricate the conflict is until you visit, meet the people, and hear their narratives. Meeting people like Aida Touma-Suleiman, Saeb Erekat, Mark Regev (Netanyahu's Spokesperson), and Aluf Benn (Editor-In-Chief of Haaretz), as well as refugees and different community members of Nazareth [where she interned and lived for eight weeks with a host family], I was really able to humanize my understanding of the conflict.”

Nicole is involved with many organizations on campus, like Mason's Model United Nations Club where she gets to travel to other schools for conferences. She also serves on the secretariat staff of the high school conference, the Mid-Atlantic Simulation of the United Nations (MASUN). Nicole is also the Philanthropy Chairwoman of her sorority, which means that she oversees all of the fundraising and outreach to local organizations to help make a direct impact on her community.
Although Nicole is not set on her future right now, she would like to attend graduate school. “After graduate school, I would really like to work in the Foreign Service but my dream job is to be a mediator for the United Nations. There are these people that comprise the Standby Team of Mediation Experts for the United Nations who are on call for high profile negotiations revolving around many issues and I would love to be a part of something like that.” Nicole indicated that she will act on the many amazing opportunities that come to her as "the world is my oyster.”