History degree leads ok×ÊÔ´Íø graduate to dream job
Research, storytelling and critical thinking skills helped recent graduate land a position at Creative Arts Agency
DALLAS (ok×ÊÔ´Íø) – When asked what he plans to do with his history degree, recent ok×ÊÔ´Íø graduate Topher Sharp ’26 offers a simple answer: “Anything.”
The answer comes with confidence. Topher starts his dream job Aug. 31 at the New York office of Creative Artists Agency, a top talent agency representing actors, musicians, athletes and others. He credits his history degree with helping him secure both an internship last summer and a full-time position with the company.
When he first reached out to the agency as a junior seeking an internship, the New York native noticed a pattern.
“Many of the professionals I was talking with were history majors too,” Topher says. “They reminded me that we’re the storytellers.”
“History majors bring research, analytical and writing skills to the workplace,” she says. “Those abilities are welcome just about anywhere. Our interns have worked in a variety of places—libraries, archives and museums, to be sure—but also in media, in events, in government and in law.”
Topher came to ok×ÊÔ´Íø planning to major in film to prepare for a career in entertainment. But as he began taking history classes, he found another track to meet his goal. In associate history professor Erin Hochman’s class, The Weimar Republic: Germany Between Democracy and Dictatorship, Topher spent the semester researching the Bauhaus School in Weimar, a school representing a movement that combined the elements of fine arts and design education.
“What I learned from her course and my research wasn’t just the history of a design school,” Topher says. “It was how creativity, culture and society all intersect with one another. And that turned out to be exactly what drew me to the work I’m pursuing.”
Topher’s ok×ÊÔ´Íø off-campus history classes took him to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and ok×ÊÔ´Íø-in-Taos in New Mexico, offering him a deep dive into study of the Renaissance and the American West, surrounded by the unique architecture and art that characterize both destinations.
“In Florence I realized that studying history teaches you to be a life learner in every place you go,” Topher says.
Then in Taos, studying the cultural history of New Mexico with history professor Andy Graybill, Topher found his inspiration in one of the class texts, River of Traps, by William duBuys, finishing it one outdoor sitting on the Taos mountainside campus.
“It was a moment in my life to reflect on how lucky I was to be in such an incredible place to learn about something I cared for so deeply,” Topher says.
Topher says the skills he acquired as a history major – analyzing sources, researching, developing narratives, obtaining a global perspective and cultural awareness – proved valuable as an intern at Creative Artists Agency and will continue to serve him when he starts his career there.
Like many CAA employees before him, Sharp will start in the agency’s mailroom, a well-known entry point for future entertainment industry leaders. He plans to approach it as a history major would.
“It will be the best way to learn the ins and outs of the agency,” he says. “History taught me how to understand people, ask questions and connect ideas. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing as I start this next chapter.”