We all know the tune well. “I could show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid…”. One moment spent listening to that song, and we envision ourselves surrounded by a blanket of stars, riding atop a magic carpet, next to our dream prince. So, what if I told you I found that very prince here at UNI? This week’s campus cutie, Tyler Yanda, could easily show you the world—he’s probably been there.
Tyler is a junior at UNI this year majoring in Spanish and French education. He plans on becoming a high school foreign languages teacher or a translator in another country. However, if he were left to dream, Tyler envisions himself working for the United Nations someday. With majors like these, it’s easy to imagine Tyler anywhere in the world—in fact he’ll already have two countries down by the end of this school year.
Being raised in the small town of Elkader, IA, it comes as no surprise that Tyler would choose to branch out. According to Yanda, he always figured he’d study abroad. I wonder, however, if he imagined he’d only spend 4 semesters here at UNI. Last semester was spent in Spain, last summer at NYU (New York University), and next semester? France. Wow ladies, I don’t know about you, but the extent of my travels lately have been to Des Moines and back—and I thought that was an adventure. When I say he can show you the world, I mean it.
Tyler is the youngest of a five person family. With two older sisters, Tyler has always attempted to model his life after them. “They were always two steps ahead,” Tyler commented, and his life has been spent catching up. In fact, one of Tyler’s sisters actually attended UNI herself, which is one of the reasons UNI even came onto this adventurous guy’s radar. We’re sure glad it did!
Tyler’s many travels have provided him with experiences many of us cannot even imagine. Picture this: you’re riding on a plane, chatting it up with the person sitting next to you. Not too out of the ordinary, right? Now imagine that this person happens to be the marketing producer of American Idol, and hands you his business card, informing you to “give him a call if you’re ever in LA.” Having trouble imagining such a far-fetched story? Well, it happened to Tyler Yanda.
Not only has traveling helped Yanda acquire an extensive social network (of famous people, mind you), it’s also given him a passion for the city life. When asked where he envisioned himself within the next ten years, Yanda quickly responded, “In a big city, possibly New York.”
Maybe it is the lights, or the hustle-and-bustle, or it could be his favorite dessert, New York cheesecake, that beckons this cutie back to his favorite city. Regardless of why he loves it, it cannot be denied that he belongs there. He is the epitome of a city boy, and I mean that in every positive way. He loves pop music, he’s a terrible driver, and he can’t get enough of clubbing. Clearly a city with loud music, taxi services, and Gaga concerts will prove satisfying for this campus cutie.
There’s a lot more to Tyler than just his passion for traveling and the city blood that runs in his veins, however. If I were to use one word to describe this cutie, OUTGOING rings loud and clear. He “loves relationships” with others, and finds some of his fondest nights spent in the company of friends. When I asked Tyler to describe his personality he responded, “I’m a happy person…people claim they’ve never seen me angry…I’m also loud.” I couldn’t agree more with each and every one of these claims; making him one of the most entertaining cuties to interview.
Even Tyler’s phrase to live by oozes of positivity: “No pasa nada”. It literally means, no fuss in that. Relax. Don’t worry. “Too often, people get too stressed,” Yanda said in reference to his life phrase. Instead of constantly analyzing his life or stressing over the work yet to be done, Tyler chooses to not fuss over it. I’m beginning to wonder who is pointing down from the clouds at me and laughing. Each and every week, without fail, the campus cuties you choose leave me with advice I’d rather just ignore–but have been needing to hear. However, this is a lesson we all need to learn.
Have loads of homework? No fuss in that. That boy not texting you back? Girl, definitely no fuss in that. Life is too short to let the silly things get in the way of your happiness. Instead, live your life like a Disney movie—at least for the weekend. Take a break from your work to sneak into the city…maybe you’ll stumble upon a handsome “street rat”. Leave the homework behind to enjoy a magic carpet ride. Who knows, you may find a handsome prince like Tyler Yanda to show you “a whole new world”.