Amelia Dewberry-
This week’s Gustie of the Week is Senior Tyler Teichmiller. Teichmiller is a Math and Statistics double major, a member of the men’s swim team, Gustie Greeter, a math and statistics tutor, and a tour guide for Admissions.
Being on the swim team for the past four years has been essential to Teichmiller’s experience at Gustavus. He loves that he can “enjoy the presence of everybody on the team.”
“Everybody on the team is worth getting to know,” Teichmiller said, “and we’re a really tight, close-knit team.”
The exciting MIAC championships for swimming are some of Teichmiller’s highlights of his time at Gustavus. He explained that the meets are always high energy because “… the members of the team who don’t make the conference team still come down and support even though they have class.” Teichmiller sees this as a testament to how supportive and close the team is.
Teichmiller particularly enjoys the conference meets because the team has won the meet for the past three years. “I really enjoy seeing my teammates succeed … at the individual level and at the team level,” Teichmiller said. The event is “super cool because it’s sort of the culmination of four and a half or five months of hard work,” Teichmiller added.
Teichmiller’s swim coach, Jon Carlson, described him as “one of the finest people I’ve had the pleasure of coaching in my 35 years. His sense of empathy and knowing the right words or actions in any situation is unparalleled. AND… he’s hilarious!” For Carlson, “it’s been an honor and a pleasure to be his coach for four years.” Carlson is amazed that Teichmiller is “involved in so many things across campus, and yet it never seems to affect his swimming.”
One of these many involvements was being a Co-coordinator for Gustie Greeters. Teichmiller worked on planning both the training for the greeters and the orientation events for first-year students. He enjoyed the opportunity to have a hands-on role with what orientation looks like and to get to know first-years.
Teichmiller’s favorite thing about Gustavus is the community. “I’m able to walk from class to class and know people and not feel like I’m sort of alone at Gustavus,” Teichmiller said. Instead of feeling like a number at college, “I wanted to feel like I can make an impact,” he added.
He has also valued the opportunity to do “a lot of inquiry-based learning with my professors in the Math department.” Inquiry-based learning allows students to learn “by interacting with other students in the class and trial and error. It takes the emphasis away from failing,” Teichmiller explained. He also mentioned, “I have really loved all my stats and math professors, and they’re really great people. And they want to get to know you outside the classroom as well, which is sort of surprising to me.”
Two things stand out the most to Associate Professor in Math, Computer Science, and Statistics Jillian Downey: Teichmiller’s “general enthusiasm for learning and his kindness.” Downey described that “Tyler is always curious about new topics and ideas and his positive attitude is almost infectious. He is also one of the most kind and welcoming students I have ever witnessed.” She has also seen Teichmiller as a statistics tutor and noted that he “is always willing to help his peers with any problems … in a way that is supportive and reassuring.”
Teichmiller’s biggest piece of advice to younger students is to not be afraid to ask questions. “Whether it be to other students in your organizations, or to your professors, or to the tutors, academic or non-academic, people here want to help you. If you have a question, don’t be scared. Don’t be afraid to ask it because people want to see you succeed,” Teichmiller advised.
After graduation, Teichmiller plans to begin a PhD program in statistics. His ultimate goal is to become a professor.