For two years Halle McFarlane strutted down the football field as the Pride of Oklahoma’s 70th drum major, a long-standing figure in OU culture. As she steps off the turf at the end of her term, she reflected on her experience at OU.
Originally from Edmond, McFarlane came to OU in the fall of 2021. She said graduating high school during the COVID-19 pandemic meant she had been unable to have on-campus tours anywhere but OU.
“A lot of my tours were from a camera strapped onto a cart, where I got driven around just virtually,” McFarlane said. “It was really hard to get an impression of a school, but OU really made an effort to get me on campus and let me walk around with the tour guide, even though we were 6 feet apart.”
McFarlane said she is a third-generation Sooner, and her grandfather Allen Bumgardner played on the football team.
“Getting to see the Pride of Oklahoma, and I was like, ‘Mom, I really think I want to do that,’” McFarlane said. “Then actually touring campus and realizing how at home I felt, I just knew right away that this was the correct choice.”
McFarlane is a fifth-year electrical engineering major with a minor in music, although she initially chose to pursue a music composition degree. McFarlane said her difficult major taught her to have more grace with herself.
“Sometimes your best looks like studying multiple, multiple hours a week, but sometimes all of the classes and the commitments really pile up, and maybe your best is just getting everything done, … “ McFarlane said. “It is OK to not always have a 100 on everything.”
McFarlane said being the Pride of Oklahoma’s drum major has been her most impactful OU experience.
“Getting to really connect with the community here, and also getting to bring so much Sooner spirit to all these different events, … ” McFarlane said. “Even though it seems like a really small thing to have band there, I think it really brings a lot of life.”
McFarlane worked her way through the Pride’s front ensemble and cymbal line to serve as OU’s 70th drum major. She is the fourth woman to hold the role in OU’s history and said that distinction has been a privilege.
“It has been a huge honor not just for representation, but just to advocate for young girls who see themselves in leadership positions,” McFarlane said. “To be able to encourage them to pursue leadership roles in a predominantly male-dominated field or position.”
McFarlane said though she is grateful for the many opportunities she has had in the Pride, balancing her roles as a drum major and as a student has posed challenges.
“One of the big things that it has taught me is a sense of preparation and responsibility, …” McFarlane said. “I know that I’m going to be on a bus on Friday, and then at a football game all day Saturday, and then on a bus on Sunday. … At the end of the day, you’ve got to put your headphones on and do your homework on the bus.”
McFarlane said once she arrived at OU, she struggled to decide where to invest her time.
“One thing that was hard for me is that I was so excited because of all of the new opportunities,” McFarlane said. “It was almost intimidating to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what group do I pick? What clubs do I go to?’”
McFarlane said even though it was difficult to choose which organizations to invest in, OU has encouraged her to pursue opportunities outside her major and supported her aspirations.
McFarlane worked as a campus tour guide and serves as the president of PE-ET Honor Society, which recognizes the top 10 seniors on campus. She was also a recipient of the PACE award her freshman year and the Kristen Partridge Campus Life Award.
Currently, McFarlane works at the Fabrication Lab at the Tom Love Innovation Hub, a student-run engineering lab. She said she helped construct a torch for the Oklahoma Special Olympics team and a sign for Campus Activity Council’s High School Leadership Conference.
“If I told my freshman-year-self that I would be working in a lab where I could build things for people, I’d be like, ‘No way,’” McFarlane said. “If I told my freshman-year-self that I got an internship last year in Wichita, Kansas, I’d be like, ‘No way.’ … If I told my freshman-year-self that I got drum major as an engineering student, I would have been like, ‘What in the world?’”
While she is stepping down as drum major, McFarlane is continuing to pursue an accelerated master’s degree in electrical engineering. She hopes to graduate in spring 2027 and work in audio technology.
McFarlane said her biggest piece of advice for incoming first-years is to make the most of their time on campus and that there are no rules to campus involvement.
“Go to a new club meeting, try it out, get an executive position for one year and see if you like it,” McFarlane said. “Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t count yourself out just because you’re a freshman or a sophomore or you haven’t been involved in the past.”
This story was edited by Natalie Armour and Macey Thaxton. Larkin Bock, Sophie Hemker and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
