Mike Tyler, the student …
What is your major?
"Management science and engineering."
Why did you choose it?
"I've always been interested in a combination of business and engineering. I wasn't really sure which one I wanted to do, and MS&E was perfect because it combined the two."
What are your future goals?
"The past two summers, I've worked in private equity. I aspire to one day work in the field. I've also been considering the investment banking route. I'm really into the data analytics side of things -- taking big data and making it understandable, whether it's in the real estate, finance, medical … There are a lot of fields that it can be applied to."
What has been your favorite class at Stanford?
"I would say, MS&E 185. It's called Global Work, about the issues and challenges of working together despite being separated geographically, with cultural and language barriers. The class actually put us into that scenario. We worked on a group presentation with members in the Netherlands. We would have bi-weekly Skype sessions. I actually made some lifelong friends."
What's the most interesting paper you've ever written?
"I took a course on computer ethics and wrote a paper on the privacy implications on facial recognition. I gave my opinion on future legislation, about what protections we should have."
Mike Tyler, the athlete …
What is the impact you want to have this year on the field?
"I want to be one of the best pass rushers in the Pac-12. It's always been something I've prided myself on and really focused on, but I'm trying to take it to another level."
Are you taking on a greater leadership role this year?
"Really, for the last two years. My No. 1 goal in all aspects of my life is to be a leader of this team, and propel us as far as we can possibly go. I have no excuse to not put every single bit of my effort of every day into football and to leading our team."
How do you define Stanford football?
"In addition to the physicality we have on the field, the big thing is how together our locker room is, how much of a family we are. We have the closest locker room in the country. That's something that really defines us."
Does humility have to play a part in making it work?
"We have such a high level of respect for our teammates that we are able to have the humility to just do our job and not go outside of our assignment. That's something that's unique about this team -- we are playing for each other and we'll make the selfless play when we need to."