Tyler White

COL ’14
Age: 21
Hometown: Bethpage, N.Y.
Major: Psychology
Minor: Philosophy

Can you talk a little bit about your home town? How different is it from Georgetown? 
Yeah, I would say my hometown is a lot more insulated; there wasn’t as much diversity, especially racial. I went to an all-guys high school. 

So what do you do on campus? 
I work at 1789. I’ve done that for about two years now as a host and a trainer, 20 hours a week. And I tutor at Holy Trinity School. I’ve been doing that since freshman year. One six grader and fifth grade boy right now. 

What do you do to relax?”  
I like to go jogging. Playing basketball’s fun; a lot of my friends will go out Wednesday nights, every week about. Like to eat out, even if it’s by myself. Try new restaurants, new cuisines, wine I find interesting, enjoyable. 

Where and with whom would you say you feel the most comfortable with at Georgetown? 
I can think of a couple answers. I mean now I’m living in Burleith, on T Street so with like a nice back porch and with two of my friends Matt and Carlos. We went on a little Thanksgiving road trip together and every now and then on a Friday afternoon we just sit back, have a couple of beers, we smoke a cigar or something. Just sit on the back porch, you know, reflect on the week. Kind of just, take a step back from everything. I’d say at work too, at 1789. It’s like a second family almost, or a family in the sense of, it’s like a home. Somewhere where I feel comfortable.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? 
Over the summer I got myself on a couple bets with a friend where by like, I had to loose like 25 pounds in like 40 days or there about. So that required a lot of will power and work. It was good, it worked out. But that wasn’t easy. 

What would you change about yourself? 
Um, I guess less shy or self-conscious when I’m around people I don’t know that well. Fell more comfortable initiating conversations. 

What are your plans after Georgetown? 
I am going to be in the Hamptons for a restaurant management training job, with the Hillstone restaurant group. It’s rotational, so we’re going have the Hamptons for a couple months then New York City, New Jersey, then get assigned somewhere potentially. 

What do you think Georgetown has, helped you accomplish? Personally, academically, career wise, etc.
I think on a personal level, just being more comfortable with people who are different. Something you run into in a restaurant you know, clientele is so varying. If someone comes from a different background you can still relate to them and connect them on a genuine and real level. I think academically, just more processing information kind of rapidly, and like knowing what has to get done, working backward from there. 

Did you want to go into the restaurant business before? 
No, I originally was doing research over summer after sophomore year at the medical center at the center for childhood development on individualized family service plans, on children with developmental delays, disabilities, like early intervention programs and planning and practice for them. I needed a job to make money during the night. I was researching during the day, and I was offered a job, and I loved it. And by the end of the summer I was getting stressed out over doing research, it was just not really fulfilling. I really enjoyed working in a restaurant so I thought maybe it was time to change things up. So I focused more on that, and even though it’s like two blocks from Georgetown, it’s like a different environment. There’s a lot of equality — you call your manager by your first name and it’s not a doctor or professor, so like a little bit of mutual respect.

Interview by Hanaa Khadraoui