Kyna McGill

What’ve you enjoyed most about your area of study? Was there a particular discovery, new skill or way of thinking, or insight that you found especially valuable? Please share an example from your favorite class or experience.

The thing I have enjoyed most about studying here is getting to know and learning from the many members of my community at MIT. Several of my classes have been primarily discussion based and led by students. My professors have been incredibly passionate and knowledgeable and my peers inspirational and challenging me to think better. My favorite thing has been being encouraged to learn and grow. 

How does the knowledge from this field, or your interest in it, combine with your other major or minor studies at MIT?

My majors are interconnected because to manage people, you need to understand people. WGS has felt a lot like applying sociology to history and the future and offers a lot of insight into working with people and understanding the sociopolitical environment that shapes us all.

An MIT education includes study in the scientific, technical, social science, arts, and humanities fields. How do you think that wide range of knowledge and perspectives will be valuable to you – for your career success and for your enjoyment of life?

Studying a broad range of topics allows me to assume different lenses when looking at the world around me. Often times at MIT we use very scientific and rational thinking that can strip away the humanity and emotion ever present in our lives. I think it is important to be empathetic and understand our lives in the context of history to create change that positively impacts people and makes the world a better place.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans are to go into consulting and gain experience in a wide variety of fields. I want to be able to positively impact people through management, and I feel like I’ll be in a better place to do that if I gain experience and insight into the workforce.