BA in History

Cesar Cordova, 2025

How did you decide on the history major?

History is an important part of my upbringing and how my family instilled a sense of awareness of who we are as people. Coming from a Peruvian background I learned about my native roots from my uncle William Cordova, who taught me through arts not just my history, but the histories that make up the community around us. I became fascinated with how interconnected different cultures were and wanted to learn what events brought them together. Once you start seeing those connections you will begin to ask yourself why and how these cultures came together. You will then understand that history is a series of choices people have made to get to where we are today. 

What have you learned in a history class that really surprised you/changed your perspective?

Learning about the decline of the Roman empire fascinated me less because of the Romans, but more about the so called “Barbarians” that the Romans vilified. The Roman Empire is namechecked when modern nations and leaders try to compare themselves to greatness, often autocrats looking to boost their image, and they often use the image of “Barbarians” at the gates to vilify immigrants. However, learning about Roman history and their reliance on immigrants to support their power sheds a new light on Roman limitations. Emperor Valens found out the hard way at the Battle of Adrianople what happens when you underestimate a group of people you see as barbaric and make an enemy out of those that create the backbone of society.

Tell us about your dream occupation…

I would love to teach, preferably in high school. It’s where I first started getting interested in the various topics I enjoy today. I always find it amusing when I tell others this and I am met with looks of concern as if I was just sent off to some “disputed barricade” as Alan Seeger would put it. We were all teenagers once and we all know how complicated our emotions and hormones were, but we also remember how much more excited we got when we got into something that really interested us. For me that was history, for others maybe music, writing, cars, movies, etc. My job as a history teacher would be to show students how all their interests were developed over time through the efforts of many people.

Have you had any internships? Or interesting jobs or volunteer experience? Tell us about it/them.

Working a delivery job for a Thai restaurant called Lil’ Bowl over in Manassas Park was probably my favorite. Not just because the owner Nid was so kind to me, but because my interactions with customers were always interesting. I think it was part of why I decided to go back to college, because people were so willing to share their life stories with me, wanting their history remembered. One of the most interesting customers told me about his life working in DC and fixing up all the audio video equipment in the press conference room during the Nixon administration. I distinctly remember making a joke saying, “oh yeah I heard about all that phone taping stuff,” to which he replied, “I had nothing to do with that!”

Any accomplishments you’re proud of? Opportunities you’ve taken advantage of? Brag a little!

 I think just having a 3.8 GPA is my proud accomplishment. I was a poor student in my early education days. High school was a struggle with distractions and lack of motivation to do the work, with my first attempt at college ending with me on academic probation. It wasn’t until after I took some time to work and mature that I think I was able to put the effort into college that it deserved. I have not received a class grade lower than a B since my time at GMU and that’s not just due to turning in assignments but also talking to my professors to let them know I really am interested in what they want to teach me.

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.

Prior to moving to Virginia, I was raised in Miami, Florida just near South Beach; before that I was born in Houston, Texas. I have cowboy boots and the tan to attest to that, some of it’s genetic and some of it I just picked up along the way. I’ll let you guess which. I have a growing collection of books as well as comics and varied music tastes from all genres. I also enjoy lots of horror media, from Silent Hill to Texas Chainsaw Massacre to foreign horror films like Martyrs.