Tyler Harris graduated with Latin honors from Bellarmine in May of 2018, receiving a B.A. in English and two minors in Film Studies and Gender Studies. He is aiming to begin the M.Ed program at Georgetown College in 2020. He is currently teaching Sophomore English and Broadcast Journalism at Trinity High School. In addition to teaching, you can usually find Tyler consuming the writings of every author from Stephen King to John Steinbeck. When Tyler isn’t teaching or reading, he’s watching films and writing about them. Since 2016, he’s kept a film diary and has reviewed over 900 movies. Running also plays an important part in his life. Though it’s a more recently developed passion, he’s learned that running can relieve stress, help in prayer, and form a strong sense of endurance in the body and soul. He will be running his first-ever half marathon this October. Tyler also recently married the former Amy Troxell, another Bellarmine alum (Respiratory Therapy); they have two terrier dogs, Ripley and Leia, and aren’t afraid to call them their furry, four-legged, mutant children.
What other majors/minors/tracks did you have beyond English?
Film Studies, Gender Studies
What is your current job?
Teacher at Trinity High School
In what ways was your degree valuable in preparing you for your career?
My time at Bellarmine helped to mold not only the skills necessary for analyzing and writing, which is a necessity in my field, but also forged a sense of character, responsibility, and an adherence to time management that gave me a great advantage in the world of teaching.
What was your favorite experience as an English major?
The relationships I created within the class environment made coming to college every day a very easy task. Because I always tend to feel more at home with older people, the professors in the English Department were always welcoming me into their offices, talking to me about books and movies, even eating lunch with me. To share those kinds of precious moments with people like Dr. Gatton, Dr. West, Dr. Barker, or Dr. Blandford was a true gift – one that I greatly miss.
Any advice for current majors or those considering an English degree?
Stay positive, forge good relationships, and suck the marrow from your short time at Bellarmine. When you graduate, you won’t see your professors or your friends as often as before, but the foundation will still be there. If you like your professors and feel somewhat close to your classmates, it makes things so much easier on you – the reading, the writing, the general workload. Luckily, Bellarmine’s English Department is filled with good-natured and incredibly smart teachers who are willing to give you the time of day necessary to create that foundation/relationship. Use that to your advantage, to the end. It’s not something to take for granted.