College of Education and Human Development

The Mats Hormel vQ Scholarship Endowment is Making a Difference in the Lives of Mason LIFE Students

“It has transformed the life of my child in remarkable ways and helped them discover the strengths and resiliency that was always inside them.” This sentiment is universal among families whose young adults attended the Mason LIFE (Learning Into Future Environments) program because of the financial support they received through the Mats Hormel vQ Scholarship Endowment.

This scholarship endowment is provided by Tommy Everett and Sarah Hormel Everett, in honor of their son, Mats Von Quillfeldt, who is a former student of the Mason LIFE program. The scholarship was established to help defray the costs associated with attending Mason LIFE, including tuition, fees, housing, textbooks, and related expenses. Scholarship awards are given to both incoming and continuing Mason LIFE students and are based on a student’s demonstrated financial need. This scholarship’s support allows these students to participate in the Mason LIFE program.

Mason LIFE is a comprehensive four-year post-secondary transition program within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University that offers young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a full university experience in a supportive academic environment. The Mason LIFE program focuses on research, academic progress, community involvement, employment and housing with the goal of gaining independent living skills and learning how to live as a Patriot. The goal of Mason LIFE is to assist students in becoming independent and to help them advocate for themselves. The impact of Mason LIFE on students who participate in the program is nothing short of transformational.

Linn Jorgenson, associate professor of Special Education at George Mason, is Director of Mason LIFE, a program to which she has committed her steadfast dedication in support of its success. She recently shared her thoughts on this program focusing on how it offers its students a full and enriching experience. Jorgenson stated, “Our students primarily come from where there needs to be a little bit more individual support and where earning a degree would not be an option. Students participate in academics, they participate in community involvement, they have a work component, and they have the option to live in campus housing should they choose to do so. At the end of their time here, they leave with a certificate of completion.”

Jorgenson points out that some students begin the Mason LIFE program feeling apprehensive. For many, it is the first time being away from home and having to make certain decisions on their own. But, as they begin their educational journey under the guidance of Mason LIFE faculty and staff, these very same students quickly acclimate to their new surroundings, and a sense of independence begins to develop. Their feelings of self-confidence grow stronger as they progress through the Mason LIFE program and are exposed to new experiences. This is something gratifying to faculty and families who take great joy in what their students accomplish.

The story of Mats Von Quillfeldt captures the essence of what the Mason LIFE program is all about. Mats completed the Mason LIFE program in May of 2020. Reflecting on his four years at George Mason, he stated: “College changed my life to be able to live and work independently. I would not be able to work full time or have my own apartment with two roommates without my Mason LIFE experience. Mason LIFE taught me how to cook, shop, do my laundry, be respectful of my roommates and be on time to classes and work. I learned to plan my daily life.”

While Mats was enrolled in the Mason LIFE program, not only was he responsible for his academic studies (he says his favorite subject in college was Early American History), but he held an internship on Capitol Hill where he performed administrative duties in a Congressional office. He traveled to and from Capitol Hill on his own using the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area bus and subway system.

Mats’s mother Sarah highlighted the positive impact that the Mason LIFE program had on him. “Mats had never spent a night away from home,” she explained. “It is amazing to have gone through this whole process with him. Even during his junior year in high school, I would not have imagined him to be able to live independently. This is an incredibly unique program. Just having this inclusive setting for these young adults is priceless.” Mats’s father, Tommy, concurred adding, “Mason LIFE opened our eyes for what he could do.”

Through the shared experience of living together, learning together, working together, and supporting one another, students in the Mason LIFE program build important life skills that help them in living a more independent life.

Noah Miller, a Mason LIFE student from 2018 to 2022, spoke highly of the program highlighting the life skills he acquired. He stated, “All four years I lived on campus in the dorms. That's how I learned to be independent. Cooking for myself, getting along with my roommates—all the good stuff.” He said that he took the Mason LIFE program’s Independent Living course which not only taught him how to cook for himself but provided him with the essential knowledge he would need to live on his own.

Noah appreciated his other classes too, especially those in sport management. His enthusiasm leaves no doubt about how much he valued his time as a student in the Mason LIFE program and how much of a positive impact this experience had on him. “College was the best,” Noah stated. “I enjoyed George Mason a lot. Not only getting to be in the Mason LIFE program but also getting to explore other classes as well.”

Beth Freedman, Noah’s mother, was grateful to witness the personal growth in her son as he progressed through Mason LIFE. She believes his participation in the program helped him become more self-assured and provided him with basic skills that will allow him to be more independent and to develop his own social network. Freedman stated, “Noah would go to every George Mason basketball game, and he would find other students to go with him. He had enough independence and space to be able to find those things and participate in those things just like he was any other student.”

The faculty and staff of Mason LIFE routinely hear from the families of students who have been in the program. The message from many of these families is one of heart-felt gratitude and thanks for the life changing opportunity their students received because of the generous financial support provided by the Mats Hormel vQ Scholarship Endowment. The families talk about the pride they experience in seeing their adult students live independently, hold a job, and build their own circle of friends. These students leave the Mason LIFE program with a resiliency and strength that enables them to better manage the everyday challenges and difficulties that are an inevitable part of life.

Jorgenson offered her closing remarks on Mason LIFE in which she expressed her aspirations for students who go through the program. “My hope for a person who completes the Mason LIFE program is that they learn who they are and that they live a life that they had hoped for whether that is independent living, working, contributing, or just being part of a world that they had hoped to be part of.”

We are excited to report that the Everetts have made a $1.2 million pledge to expand the existing Mason LIFE scholarship. The Mats Hormel vQ Scholarship Endowment will now offer two full-ride scholarships for the program, doubling the financial support previously provided.