NCC of the Year Award Tyler Wintermute University of Evansville GL ACURH Regional Business Conference 2017 Southern Illinois University -Edwardsville
Table of Contents: Fun Facts: Fun Facts...page 1 This is Where He Stems From page 2 Growing Roots and Got Style page 3 Planting His Seeds...page 4 Helping Plants Bloom.page 5 (Photo)synthesizing Change.page 6 Growing Leaves of Color...page 7 A Letter that Blossoms..page 8 Tyler received 2nd place in the Virginia State Science and Engineering for making ethanol from grass! Tyler is sensitive to lettuce! Tyler never heard Macklemore until he came to college! He swam with sharks in the Galapagos Island! He did track and field in high school, specifically hurdles! Tyler plays violin and guitar! Favorite Colors are Red, Purple, and Green! 1
This is Where He Stems From: Tyler was born in Camp Hill, PA, and raised in Loudoun County, VA. There he obtained extensive involvement in boy scouts, earning him the title of Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor. The Vigil Honor is the highest distinction in the Order of the Arrow. Earning this means that Tyler has a broad awareness of situational possibilities and is dedicated to community and service. He led his troop as senior patrol leader and carried out the development and building of over 2.5 miles of outdoor trails. All this action made Tyler realize how much he loved being outdoors, and his passion led him to want to do something for the environment he loves. His drive for improving sustainability and leading others to care for the environment as well, landed him at an Environmental Science, Biochemistry double major. With this Tyler wants to make a positive change in the way people look at the world. This speaks to the Tyler s character. He has a strong sense of responsibility to his community, environment, organizations, and peers. His drive and altruism gives him the initiative to want to help in every way possible. The enthusiasm and perseverance Tyler has gives him the initiative to be the change. He also ignites others to act on their passion through his extensive leadership and guidance. Tyler wants everyone to find their passion like he found his and act on it. Tyler is the plant man, always in action, growing new roots and planting new seeds so that each level of community may prosper. He believes change starts with one person and facilitates this idea constantly as the inspirational figure he is. 2
Growing Roots: Regional Involvement: Served as active member of boardroom at GLACURH 2017 Got Style: Conference Involvement: GLACURH 2017 Conferences has allowed me to see the bigger picture of what RSA means and what it could be, and has better helped me understand what ResLife is and the value of community Tyler Wintermute 3
Planting the Seeds: It s not just humans that matter though! Tyler waters the plants in the greenhouse and feeds the animals in the biology department. He also surveys the ecological systems at Wesselman s Woods so that the different systems may be accounted for and efforts to maintain each system may be developed. Tyler has been an active member of Venturing Crew as well. In this organization, he has served as Vice President, organizing and planning trips for the organizations. He made sure the events were planned in a way that provided the most fun for the members as possible. He also makes sure he is able to interact with all the members so no one feels out of place. Tyler loves being involved on campus, because it s a great opportunity to water the lives of many so they can grow to their full potential. He serves as president of the Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO), as well as treasurer and the representative for the Student Government Association. Tyler makes sure that ECO is able to spread its concern across campus by sharing its passion with others. Due to the small size of the organization, Tyler simultaneously runs all three positions because of his passion for the cause. He delegates information about the club and its initiatives to campus and makes sure his club gets proper representation. He organizes recyclemania on campus and speaks to students and faculty about how they could make simple changes in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle. This includes giving talks about sustainability and leadership, planning events to get people more involved with science and sustainability, getting Evie the Recycling Dog on campus to show students how easy it is to care for the environment, and speaks with the campus president on how to set up initiatives for people to do their part in caring for the earth. By this he has inspired members of his organization, as well as those not directly involved to recycle more and think about the effects their actions have on the environment. 4
Helping Plants Bloom: Tyler serves as NCC and Parliamentarian in the Residential Student Association (RSA) on campus. There he makes sure that the constitution is followed and that everyone there gets equal representation and the ability to make their points without being cut-off. He has attended GLACURH 2016, and is looking forward to attending many more throughout his time at college. RSA was lacking an NCC until this year when Tyler stepped up. As an NCC, Tyler organizes and facilitates conference planning for ResLife. As a result of his hard work and dedication, the number of participants and applicants for conferences has increased from that of past years. Tyler also promotes forming a community beyond just one resident hall, but throughout all of them, and wants all residents to be unified by Residence Life Tyler is also an Residential Assistant (RA) in one of the residential halls at University of Evansville. As an RA, he serves as an example for his residents to follow, as well as someone they look up to. He is very adamant about making sure he gets to know everyone in his hall because he wants to make sure everyone is accounted for and feels like they belong. Tyler isn t one to leave one out and programs his events so that everyone may feel included, which includes special accommodations for those residents with special needs or restrictions. On and off duty, Tyler makes sure everyone is taken care of in the most efficient manner. In fact, he is so concerned about the well-being of his residents, he often times sacrifices his own needs to help them. All his residents, as well as everyone in his building, know that he will always be there for them, providing a security net when there is a drought or flood in their college careers. 5
6 (Photo)synthesizing Change: Tyler has taken the initiative to form a petition on campus for composting. This initiative was solely Tyler s idea and part of his plan to improve sustainability on campus. He has set up the petition and actively reaches out to students on campus to explain to them why this is an issue that needs to be solved. Tyler serves as a GAP ambassador, meaning that he delegates between students and global organizations on how to make improvements in society. Here he evaluated methods of green technology in efforts to apply some to his campus. He led a week long awareness campaign that captured the attention of many, which motivated him to acquire a $90,000 grant to install LED lights and solar panels at the Carver Community Center. This initiative also gave rise to getting LED lights on campus as well. Tyler serves as the chloroplast to the Moore Hall Sustainability committee. This committee was set up in part because Tyler wanted to see something done to improve sustainability inside residence halls. This is the first sustainability committee to exist on campus. Tyler is the head member, directing others on how to improve the environmental friendliness of the building they live in. This includes, making sure lights are turned off when not in use, teaching people how to properly recycling, getting more recycling bins in building, and expanding the materials which the building have the availability to recycle.
Growing Leaves of Color: Tyler is the kind of person who s presence can light up a room. He has a way of making you believe in yourself, even though he may not always believe in himself. He always tries to see the bright side of things and is someone I know I can confide in. - Maegen Kincanon Tyler has a drive and passion that is totally unique for someone his age. He has the ability to pass his enthusiasm on to his peers and get them caring about things they may not have considered before. Justin Coffey, RSA Advisor He cares so much about other people, and it is an inspiration. - Beth Andrews Tyler is a strong leader, giving everything he has to the cause, even if it means having less for himself. -Branndon Castellano Since I met Tyler, he has always been an active member of ResLife and goes out of his way to help other students with their problems. I see him as a mentor and someone I can go to for advice. His leadership skills help him to be a great person. -Ben Horsfall Tyler has been an integral part of ECO Club since he joined as a freshman. He is quick to volunteer and encourages club members to get more involved. Through his leadership, our club is expanding and accomplishing many of our goals. -Spencer Willem 7
A Letter That Blossoms: 8
Pictures Cited: Prairie with Tree, East Branch Forest Preserve, Lombard, IL 60148. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Grass with Samara, 5811 Chatsworth Ct., Hanover Park, IL 60133. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Grass with Dandelion Spores, 5811 Chatsworth Ct., Hanover Park, IL 60133. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Grass with Dandelion, 5811 Chatsworth Ct., Hanover Park, IL 60133. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Tree, East Branch Forest Preserve, Lombard, IL 60148. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Larkspur, East Branch Forest Preserve, Lombard, IL 60148. Personal photograph by author. 2015. White Daisy in Grass, 5811 Chatsworth Ct., Hanover Park, IL 60133. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Prairie Plants, Herrick Lake, Wheaton, IL 60187. Personal photograph by author. 2015. Tunnel of Leaves, Herrick Lake, Wheaton, IL 60187. Personal photograph by author. 2015.