Testimonial: Moshe Pasternak, CCAS '17


June 15, 2017

Bolstering his political science degree with a range of on- and off-campus internship experience, Moshe (Mo) Pasternak has made the most of the opportunities afforded to him by a GW Power & Promise scholarship.

As a freshman, he took a Dean’s Seminar on political manipulation, and further classes enhanced his understanding of the mechanisms behind the headlines. Broader communications courses provided lessons he’s carried from Capitol Hill to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he worked for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Sociology classes changed the way he saw the world and sparked a passion for community service.

“Being able to pursue my passions and learn at such a wonderful school is not something I take for granted,” the Livingston, New Jersey, native says. “This scholarship has allowed me to learn and grow as a person.”

Remarkably, a class on youth sports afforded Mo the opportunity to interview a three-star general on the influence sports has on our lives.
Mo also considers it an honor to be a part of the Colonial community. “A good education is one thing, but a support network is invaluable.”


After graduation, Mo hopes to continue advocating for a more equitable health care system in America, as he did working one semester with the Alliance for Retired Americans. He knows that when he graduates, he will leave Foggy Bottom with “much more than a diploma.”

“I am confident [GW] will lead me down a road that would have been closed, and for that I am eternally grateful,” Mo says. “The real thank you can be seen in everything I do and will continue to do after I leave GW.”