Tyler Bridge

COL ’17
Age: 19
Hometown: Ross, Ohio
Major: Undeclared

What do you do?
I do too much on campus. I’m the typical freshman; I signed up for hundreds of things. The most emails I’ve gotten in a day is 65. I ran for GUSA when I first got to Georgetown, I won a senate seat against 15 people, and I have been in GUSA ever since, advocating for student interest, and I was recently elected student life chairman in the senate, so I’m very excited about that. I am in College Democrats, worked for GUSA presidential campaigns. I also work for a group called Bring on the Books, so we’re collecting 6,000 books to give to children in D.C. who don’t have a lot of resources, and adult books go to prisons. I also work for Blue and Gray and was recently inducted, and I have my first solo tour in about two hours, which I’m very excited about. So, yeah, I think those are my main commitments.

What do you hope Georgetown will help you accomplish?
I say this at the end of my tours actually. This is why I came to Georgetown: It’s a great school and it’s going to give me a great education, but with that great education I’ll always remember that we’re men and women for others, that we exist to go forth into the world and to set the world on fire with service. And I saw that when I came to Georgetown. There’s an article I read in THE HOYA, in the Jesuit Perspective, and he said that John Carroll sits on top of his chair and looks out into the world for a reason, because we’re getting a great education here, and our goal is to take that education and give it to others. That’s what Georgetown will help me do. 

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
It’s funny, when I was home I was surrounded by a group of conservatives, and I was the only Democrat there. Then I was going to come to Georgetown, and I was surrounded by liberals and I thought I’d have a wonderful time. But then I got here, and found that I didn’t really fit with these kinds of Democrats, or with those back home. So I don’t fit in either place. But, you know, I don’t really want to fit in at Georgetown. I want to wear my camo hat, and I’m going to stick to my guns, and be proud that I’m from cornfields and rustbelt America. And if people don’t like me, that’s just the way it is I guess. I’m not going to change who I am to fit into this place.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
I think to come out as a gay person. I know that’s a struggle for a lot of people and is the hardest thing they’ve ever done. What made it so hard for me was you know, I was class president, I was valedictorian, people would tell me I could be president of the United States, and all I could think was, “If only you knew me, then you wouldn’t say these things about me.” I was so scared; I lived in a very conservative town. I knew my parents would not be supportive. I was very scared that I would lose everything and not be who I was. But I did it. I came out my sophomore year of high school, and in an instant all my fears just went away. Everyone at school was so supportive. Just to think that in a small conservative town like that, that nothing was how I thought it would be was an amazing experience for me. I was still elected class president next year, uncontested. People were great, they were just so supportive. My best friend told me that he was not upset that I was gay; he was upset that I was afraid to tell him. To hear that from a very Evangelical kid was amazing.

What’s your greatest fear?
My greatest fear in life is being alone. I hate being alone. It’s the worst thing ever. I read biographies of JFK and all those guys as well and they hated it too. But yes, I hate it. It’s the worst feeling, to feel that you don’t have anybody to be there. And it does feel amazing when you have somebody there that you can count on and be with, then days later you don’t. It’s just kind of cold. So that’s my greatest fear. 

What do you do for fun? 
I love to take walks. I love to just go out into the world and see things about life. It’s my Jesuit side, and just taking that time when I am alone, and reflecting and thinking about my life and where it could go, thinking about what I did that I liked about myself and what I did that I didn’t like about myself and thinking about how I could improve myself and make myself a better person. It’s the Ignation examine. I got that from Georgetown and from the people here. When you can enjoy that time alone, then I think you’re ready to be with someone else.

What would you change about yourself? What’s the biggest change you’ve consciously made in your life and why?
I don’t think there’s a person on this earth who wouldn’t like to change something about themselves. My Grandpa used to say that life is the process of becoming, and I think that, although we might not make changes in our lives all the time, we definitely become something else. I think if I could change something, I would change the fact that I try to please everyone all the time, and if I’m too busy to do something then to just say no. I think that’s a skill all students here could learn. Just being able to say no, and know your limits. I work too hard sometimes, and it’s not good for you or your body. Live within your means.

If you could lead a protest on one thing, what would it be?
If I could lead a protest, I would lead an army of people against radicalism. You see The Tea Party, and these people who just will not compromise, and it forestalls divided government. And there’s no room for anyone to speak, there’s no room for actually getting things to be done and there’s no room for things to improve, so all we’re doing is maintaining the status quo, every single day. More people are moderate than they say they aren’t. And that spirit of being so one-sided and divisive, it just kills the democratic spirit. I think the more moderates we have, the more people who are willing to agree to disagree and work with the other side, like we did in our Ignatius Seminar is the best. I hate radicalism, it drives me insane. 

What are the best and worst things about Georgetown?
This is going to sound weird, but before I came to Georgetown, I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew what party I was, what I liked, what my interests were, my religion, my faith, where I wanted to go in life. My first year at Georgetown it totally tore me apart, broke me down, spit me up. And I sit here in this chair answering these questions, and I have no idea where I’m going in life, I don’t know what my faith is. The only thing I’m 100 percent sure of is that I am definitely gay. That’s pretty much all I know. But I think the best thing about Georgetown, in that light, is that it challenges you, and it makes you ask questions about yourself that you never thought you would ever ask. I don’t think any other university, or even community, could make me do that, certainly not back home. The worst thing about Georgetown is that sometimes I feel like we’re a little antiquated. Yes, we’re a top university, but sometimes we’re just a little backward. Every student group on campus, whether or not they’re in agreement with the university, should be able to speak their mind and be present on campus. If we’re willing to say that we embrace diversity in action and all these sayings, we better put that into action. And when we deny groups that participation in the university setting, then I think we’re doing them a disservice and betraying our values. 

Interview by Jess Kelham-Hohler