Graduating Schar student raises the bar with her professional experiences

When Daksha Magesh came to George Mason University as a freshman in 2021, she already had an impressive resumé.  

 “My first experience with government came from when I was working on senate campaigns in high school. I knocked on doors, answered phones, worked on advertisements and expenditure tracking. It made me really curious about what it was like to be in government,” said Magesh, a government and international politics major and government analytics minor.

The Honors College student was working for federal prosecutor Manka Dhingra of the 45th District from her hometown of Seattle, Washington. Magesh says that’s where her interest in law comes from.  

“I figured that if I’m going to be a lawyer, I might as well know how the government really works, so that's part of the reason why I chose this major for my future,” she said. 

Since then, she has also worked for the Washington Senate Democratic Campaign and legal nonprofits, such as the Seattle Clemency Project.  

 “I was working with people who were sentenced at a young age and have been in jail for a really long time. We were helping them to get clemency and rehabilitation for early releases because they've served 25 plus year sentences,” said Magesh. “They are now 50 to 60 years old and have served their sentences. It’s really time they come out and be productive members of society.” 

Magesh has also worked for the South Asian Bar Association, a collective of all the major South Asian lawyers in the country. 

 “I'm really grateful for all the people that I worked with while I was there. They were all very welcoming and it was the first time that I got to work with people that were of the same identity as me,” said Magesh.  

“I love all of these experiences, but walking into a room and having everyone look like me in my field is incredibly rare. It was so cool,” said Magesh. 

Magesh also worked with Schar associate professor Jennifer Victor on her Undergraduate Research Assistant Program team doing congressional caucus literature review as research for Victor’s new book. 

Magesh worked with Victor again as a teaching assistant for her GOVT 103: Introduction to American Government course. “I taught recitations every Friday and my class was amazing. I tried to make recitations fun with a game or interactive experience, and I got really good feedback at the end of the year. It was a great experience,” said Magesh. 

What’s your best memory at George Mason? 

George Mason movie nights are my go-to. My friends and I just get a bunch of snacks, cuddle up on the couch, and watch something fun. I also love Mason Day. My resident advisor and close friend Kennedi took me to my first one. The weather was perfect and I remember thinking ‘oh my God, there’s a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster.’ We had such a great time. 

How have you grown at George Mason? 

I really came out of my shell. I'm such an introvert and I was so scared because George Mason was very intimidating, and it was hard for me to make friends at first. But I've really impressed myself with the way that I was able to connect to new people. I’m also a Schar School Liaison and secretary of the Honors Recruitment Team, so connecting with people is one of the biggest things that you have to learn and that skill is definitely something I learned from my time at George Mason. 

What advice do you have for incoming students? 

The biggest thing is time management. Organize your time by keeping a calendar or a planner and writing down your assignments. Also networking and meeting people. Don’t be afraid to go up and introduce yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or cold emailing. I’ve gotten two of my biggest internships through cold emailing. And another, with the [Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia] that I got through networking. Make sure you’re talking to people, whether that's professors or professionals, in your field. 

What’s next for you? 

I hope to pursue my legal career further. I'll definitely apply to law school in the future and be studying for the LSAT. I want to explore options on the East Coast, as I've really grown to love it. Ideally, I want to be able to work in a firm. It has always been my dream to be a lawyer and I will definitely achieve that.