Parents: Robert Tyler Sr., Amanda and Christopher Gonzalez
Previous schools attended: Matoaka Elementary School and Hornsby Middle School (6th grade) in Williamsburg, Va; Resaca Middle School (7th and 8th grade)
Preferred college: Texas A&M University
Major: Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace
Future plans: Chief Electrical Engineer of a facility employed by a company such as Boeing or Lockheed Martin.
School activities: RGV Lead, Junior Varsity golf, Engineering Club
Class rank: Top 5 percent (ranked among Top 10 in freshman and sophomore years)
Inspiration for academic success: I owe my strong work ethic to my parents who raised me to be responsible for always maintaining the highest grades possible. They might have been a little too successful in instilling a positive work ethic in me as a child because most of the time they wouldn't be nearly as upset at one of my bad grades as I would get at that age. But my parents really did do a great job at raising me despite all the headaches I put them through. Because of them, I can say I have had a very successful and satisfying early school career. So for that Mom and Dad, thank you.
Life challenges: One of my largest complications in life concerning academic achievement is my anxiety. Throughout elementary and middle school, I faced unpleasant anxiety over whether or not I would perform well. If I had to pin the cause of these very persistent feelings of self-doubt, I wouldn't be able to point my finger at anyone or anything other than myself. Not once have I felt any sort of pressure to get good grades that were unreasonable; it was always just me doubting myself. I have come a long way from then, I don't let myself get so worked up anymore. Instead, I just focus on ensuring that I have nothing to worry about.
Leadership traits: I have been involved in RGV LEAD since my sophomore year and I have nothing but praise to say about it. It's a very welcoming group filled with really cool people who are very easy to get along with. I’ve learned so much from all of my experiences with the program. Throughout all of the events we have attended, I have gained valuable networking skills and through the program, I understood the simple truth – that my life is my own to live and I want to do everything I can to be a good person and to be successful.
Balance of academics and school activities: I’ve found that my key to finding a balance between academic activities and school ethic is time management. This sounds easy enough until you find yourself awake at 3 a.m. completing challenging work for my teacher Ms. (Veronica) Gaytan, wishing that there were more hours in a day and wanting to fall asleep. Time management is a genuine struggle. I would not be truthful if I said I have complete mastery over it because that’s just nonsense. However, time management is very important to maintaining a healthy balance so everyone should try their best and forgive yourself for messing up once in a while.
Career goals: I plan to complete my Doctorate for Electrical Engineering to become a Chief Electrical Engineer for a company such as Boeing or Lockheed Martin. Unlike many when selecting a career path, I actually don't know a single engineer in my life. Instead, I was attracted to engineering because of the PLTW classes offered at Los Fresnos High School – specifically Introduction to Engineering Design. Prior to taking any engineering classes, I wanted to be a pilot and was only taking engineering classes because I knew it would benefit me in a career in aviation. Soon I learned that I was interested in the logistics and details behind aviation much more than being an aviator myself.