“Tyler is always there if you need help, want to hang out, or just simply talk,” remarks Vanessa Chew, one of Tyler’s best friends. Tyler is a senior at Wilcox who is passionate about all things art. Tyler has attended Wilcox for his freshman, sophomore, and senior year. As far as his personality, Tyler describes himself as an introvert, yet bubbly at the same time. Chew states, “If you know Tyler, you know he almost never gets mad,” as he is known among his friends to be level-headed. When it comes to helping friends, Tyler is one of the best listeners, offering an ear to friends whenever needed. He finds his happiness in helping others, explaining that, “Helping people is kind of just the person I am.”
Tyler was born in California and has strong Hawaiian and Laotian heritage. In the early 1970s, his grandparents immigrated to Hawaii from Laos to flee from genocide and war. His mother was born in Hawaii and his uncle was born on the ship to Hawaii. His family eventually moved to California, and Tyler grew up in Campbell. Being connected to his culture is an important part of Tyler’s life, as he visits Hawaii with his mom every summer.
His favorite event at Wilcox is the art expo because, “it’s a great way to show how the students of Wilcox express themselves.” Tyler notes that the art expo, “connects every art between 2D art, 3D art, music, culinary, and drama.” He has participated in every art expo held during his time at Wilcox and plans to create an exhibit for this year’s art expo.
Art has played a huge role in Tyler’s life since he was young. Growing up, Tyler experienced emotional trauma from people close to him passing away, and art would help him express and explore those feelings. Dealing with emotional hardship and a rigorous academic schedule, Tyler dove deeper into the creative world of drawing around the start of high school. He states that, “art can help me get away for a little bit, like hitting the refresh button on a tab.” Tyler’s art has a serious side and a soft side. He features animals such as bunnies and cats, his favorite video game characters, and Pokémon — but he also creates pieces centered around subjects such as loss, accepting imperfection, and struggles with one’s own mental health.
Along with creating art, Tyler also enjoys listening to it too. He is passionate about the K-pop girl group, (G)I-DLE. He has seen them live two times in Oakland and San Francisco. (G)I-DLE is known for their songs that critique harsh Korean beauty standards and encourage body positivity. Tyler is inspired by the group leader, Soyeon, who created the group based on self-acceptance and belief in one’s own talents. For Tyler, (G)I-DLE has helped him with acknowledging his self-worth, pushing him to be comfortable in his own skin.
Tyler’s sense of self-expression shines when it comes to his personal style. His closet is carefully curated and has evolved over the years. During freshman and sophomore year he started experimenting with an emo style, and in junior year he explored wearing more sweaters. until he reached his current style. Today, Tyler loves wearing earth tones such as beiges, browns, and dark greens. He prefers thick, baggy clothing and claims that “you’ll never see him in a short-sleeved shirt.” His favorite piece of clothing is his brown Totoro zip-up jacket. Tyler believes his style has fully developed, stating “you kind of don’t know what you want to be until you get there.”
In the future, Tyler plans on majoring in Graphic Design. His top choices for colleges include Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Otis College of Art and Design, and ArtCenter College of Design. SCAD happens to be on the East Coast and when asked about his feelings about the distance, Tyler stated, “I’m a little scared, but I know I’ll have friends there.”
Tyler chose graphic design because of his passion for art and the variety of career options. Tyler explained that, “graphic design is really all around us.” We discussed the importance of design in the world and how unnoticed design often is. I interviewed him on the floor of the B building next to some lockers, and he noted that, “anything is art if you really think about it. The lockers behind us are art. The tiles on the floor are art.” Tyler’s love for art began at a young age, and he hopes to preserve it in designs that people interact with every day in the future.
