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George Mason University Alumna Susana Castillo Breaks Boundaries and Finds Political
Success
By Alexandra Tubell
From Colombia to the Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser, Susana Castillo has become
the definition of dedication and hard work. She has found success and happiness in politics, a
career field she never dreamed of being involved in originally. This past January, Castillo was
During her time at George Mason University, she majored in communication with a
employers,” she said. “The value of internships in this area is huge as well. Mason was able to
provide me with lots of real world experience.” At George Mason University, Castillo is
described by her professors and peers as a hard-worker, inspired, and a student who was always
Upon her graduation in 2013, she went to work at Media Force LLC as a client service
representative. From that experience, she learned she wanted to work where she could focus on
giving back to her Latino community, so she became a community mobilizer specialist at the
Department of Behavioral Health at Latin America Youth Center. She found her niche there and
continued to grow and became a public relations specialist at the Mayor’s Office on Latino
Affairs. “Giving back to the community that built me was the most important thing,” she said. “I
At the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, she was able to create a communication and marketing
plan from the ground up. As the only person working in the communication department in their
office, she was able to hit the ground running and create everything from scratch. This included
their social media, branding strategies, and more. Throughout her eight months there, Castillo
met people working in her field who she was able to build strong relationships. Castillo met the
Press Secretary for the Mayor at the time, and was able to prove herself as a key individual. She
stayed in contact with the press secretary and was offered a few small jobs to work for the Mayor
Muriel Bowser.
In 2016, many employees left the Mayor’s office to go work for various presidential campaigns
which led to job opportunities within the Mayor’s office. Castillo was offered a three-month
position in the Mayor’s communication office where she did every small job to the best of her
ability. She put together binders for the Mayor, organized press releases, and communicated with
the Mayor on where she should be for specific events. The Mayor’s office saw how dedicated
Castillo was and promoted her to press secretary at the Executive Office of the Mayor,
In her current role, she is responsible for all of the coverage the Mayor Bowser gets and the
messages she intends to put out. “Mayor Bowser’s life is my life,” she says. She hosts press
conferences, events, oversees all of the agencies that report to the Executive Office of the Mayor,
handles the media, and more. She says, “You have to have a story behind everything, and that’s
the most important part.” She creates the total package for reporters, as she crafts the story,
message, interviews, tours, and more to pitch journalists. Castillo says, “I would not change my
Castillo faces adversity every day. She noted that people often try to put her in pockets simply
based off her nationality. However, this gives her more empowerment to fight and push past
being put in a box. Castillo proves herself as a key element to the mayor through every aspect of
her work. She has found reward in her position through being able to help her community in
local politics.
George Mason University’s Communication Department provides its students with the tools
they need to succeed, whether that be putting together a portfolio of writing samples, creating
promotional videos, creating strategic media plans, and more. Susana Castillo is the prime
example of success and what George Mason University’s Communication Department produces.
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George Mason University is located in the center of one of the world’s most influential media
markets. The communication department is focused on delivering programs and courses provide
education about the most basic of human social processes: the creation and dissemination of
meaning and information. The communication department offers a variety of undergraduate and
student organizations. Our world-renowned faculty prepare our graduates to enter the market