BA in History

Kye Farrow, 2019

Kye Farrow

Why did you choose history as a major?

I came into Mason as a government and international politics major and quickly learned that I had no interest in pursuing a career in politics. The initial inspiration to change my major to history came from my experience in Dr. Wendi Manuel-Scott’s Intro to African & African American Studies class. I was so intrigued and frankly disappointed in how much of what I was learning was for the first time. I needed the opportunity to learn more so I decided to pursue something I was truly passionate about and loved learning. I changed my major to history and picked up a minor in African & African American studies and could not be happier with my decision to do so.

What was your career path after graduation?

By my senior year, I had brainstormed many career paths I could pursue with my history background including law, education, and museum administration, but ultimately, I had no idea what I really wanted to do. I knew I needed more time and experiences to figure out what I wanted to pursue professionally so I took a leap of faith and enrolled in the Master of Science in Management program at GMU’s graduate school of business. This was a big step for me seeing as I had spent the last four years studying history and had no business class experience. I knew the new skills I developed in the program coupled with the analytical, research, and interpersonal skills I crafted as a history student would give me an advantage like no other when I was ready to take another look at my career options. I was able to identify my interests quickly and knew I wanted to pursue a career in working with people and organization data. I was fortunate enough to get offered a great position in December 2019, prior to the 2020 pandemic, and currently work as an HR Technology consultant at a leading global HR transformation consultancy.

How do you think your history major at Mason prepared you for your career?

My BA in History from Mason not only prepared me for my career but for grad school as well. If there is one thing that is true about grad school no matter what you study, it’s that there is going to be a significant amount of reading and writing. Coming into the business program with my history background made this aspect of grad school a walk in the park! All jokes aside, the program itself was very rigorous, but I was able to find comfort in the things that I knew I did well, such as reading, writing, speaking, and presenting on various topics. In my career, I heavily leverage my interpersonal skills to maintain positive relationships with co-workers and clients. Lastly, the research skills are one of the best things I have gained from studying history. As a consultant, these skills are used daily.

Any advice you’d like to give current Mason students?

Understand that the most powerful tool you have as a person is your ability and willingness to meet, network, and learn from the experiences of others. Keep an open mind and always take the opportunity to connect with someone else. Doing this has opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed.