This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Suffolk chapter.
Tyler speaks at convocation earlier this year.
How does it feel from going to campus cutie to class president?
It’s pretty crazy, I never thought I would get to where I am and what I have been able to accomplish in the past three years. It’s been a fun time.
How does it feels to know that you are in a position to lead not only our senior class but the entire student body?
It’s exciting and it can get a little overwhelming at times in terms of what’s expected and the schedule. I found a passion for leadership last year after being an officer on e-board. It can be scary at times when there are certain things in your hands and questions you have to answer. Some times you have to answer questions or solve problem you never expected you would at 21 years old, but overall, even when the schedule gets crazy, its a good experience.
What are you looking forward to the most in your new position as SGA president?
Getting to know as many of the students as possible on campus and getting to work with all the clubs and organizations is the most exciting part. As president I have the resources to know what events are going on so I love attending events to meet people and get to know what their interests are.
What motivated you to join SGA in the first place?
I was an orientation leader going into sophomore year, and Vito Gallo–the vice president at the time–really pushed me and convinced me to do it. I thought that it would be good for my resume and I knew I had always had an interest in government related stuff but never really acted upon it. Then I realized that there are other interests you can pursue with SGA within the different committees we have. As an accounting major I could work within the realm of finance as the treasurer. In terms of the environment and learning how to handle certain situations it has helped because it allows you to go in and know how to manage it. My SGA journey started out this way and I found out that I have a knack for it.
What sort of projects or initiatives do you and your team have in the works? Are there any that are geared specifically towards college women?
One of the big things we’re working on is a NESAD project for the 73 Tremont library. We complied a bunch of art last year that was submitted and reviewed by faculty at both NESAD and 73 Tremont which will be put on display. A lot of the art currently in the library is from students that graduated in the 2004-2005 era so it’s becoming outdated. We’re trying to start a process where we renew the art every three to four years to get more undergrad artists recognized on this part of the campus. To go along with this, we’re also trying to organize an art show for students and faculty for them to showcase and explain their work more in depth.
Another big thing we’re working on is increasing the number of activities periods during the week. Right now they are only Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 2:15 and it’s tough to get involved in a lot of things in such a small time frame. We’re starting to get data on where the least amount of classes are in a week and then go from there.
For women we have a diversity committee who works closely with the Diversity Services office, and so we try to co-sponsor and support the projects and events they have going on. Definitely check out all their resources because they do a great job.
Tyler and the E-board for the 2014-15 school year.
What is your favorite thing about Suffolk and the community here?
The biggest thing is the environment that we are in. It’s a small school in a big city and so my favorite thing about the community here is that everybody is friendly and really wants to get to know each other. Because of this, I’ve had a lot of memorable experiences here at Suffolk. At the same time, being in a big city allows you to know people from different schools and neighborhoods, you don’t get that small or rural feeling where you start to get sick and tired of everybody and everything around you.
I also think it’s the attitude around Suffolk because we tend to be an underdog in comparison to the big universities like BC, Harvard, or Northeastern. Everybody here has this gung-ho mentality where we strive to prove our worth and we understand that we have the power and potential to be better than other students who come out of those schools.
Thoughts on having Dr. Smith as Suffolk’s new president?
It’s exciting and at the time was shocking. I did get to meet with him last week and I do get to meet with him on a bi-weekly/monthly basis. I’m excited because I really enjoyed President McCarthy and I think that President Smith will do a great job do because after speaking with him I understand the direction he can bring to the university. He can bring Suffolk to that next level of prestige and he is prepared to build upon the ground that McCarthy laid the past two years. He can be the start of a lot of great changes around Suffolk but that starts with us, the students, to really push what we want. Lots of change will be coming within the next five to ten years and exciting to think that we can be the start of all that change.
Funniest experience as President so far?
I would say that having all the new students back and experiencing these last first days of school as a senior. It’s interesting seeing all the freshmen on campus and looking back at how the past three years have played out.
Fill in the blank: You’d be surprised to know that Tyler: _______
I was a child actor! I was on the Battleship box and I was in the big cheese pizza commercial. Also, I was the first campus cutie that Her Campus Suffolk ever had!
Any final words to the women of Suffolk?
I’ve always enjoyed Her Campus and it was cool to watch it grow from the start three years ago and I look forward to seeing what happens this year. Another final word, and, I’ll get brownie points with my girlfriend for this one; I’m taken (sorry ladies!) but cheers to a great school year!