Steven M. Mason, MPA, JD

The Past...

The Neighborhood

 

I grew up on Chicago’s South Side where there are houses down every block on streets that never end, every yard separated by fences each holding its own personal space, and its own personal story.  The environment was engulfed with sounds of laughter, basketball, and the frequent ringing of bullets through the air.  I had two choices either join the local gang or fear for my life while walking home; I chose to fear for my life and create my own story. I chose to educate myself in an effort to change my reality. It worked! 

 

EDUCATION

 

I went to the University of Illinois at a disadvantage, since I had to learn things that many students already knew from high school (and it is no secret that Chicago high schools are terrible). At U of I for the first time in my life I really felt my academic inferiority. I used this time to develop my skills; I had to study double. My vocabulary was lacking, I found myself writing down words I didn’t know, taking them home, and looking them up. For four years I spent time catching up with the other students. I felt behind, I started to doubt myself, but I didn’t give up and I graduated.  

 

Once I started my educational journey I never looked back. At the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), I completed a Masters of Public Administration with a 3.9 GPA. During my graduate work I had the opportunity to complete some of my studies abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, where I attended Intercollege University. At the university, I focused my studies in international law and conflict analysis.  

 

After graduate school there was one piece left in my educational puzzle and that was law school.  I attended the University of San Francisco and I flourished. I also found what would be my career... Contracts Law! 

 

 

The key to my growth began with education and continues with education...