Graduating high school 4th in his class with a 4.0 GPA, Tyler won 9 scholarships upon graduation, and to date has been awarded with 17 scholarships. This spring (2016) he will graduate from Terra State Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, at which time he will transfer to Tiffin University to pursue his BA.
When Tyler is not in class or studying hard, he’s running. He competes in 5K’s, and ran his first half-marathon in June of 2015, placing 67th out of 1200 runners, and 6th in his age group.
Two years ago while on vacation with his family, inspiration struck Tyler. He had always been a great athlete and had a passion for running, and he decided that he wanted to run all the way to the west coast. When he told his mentor and former high school cross country coach, his coach helped him readjust his goals to something more realistic in the short-term, explaining that running across the country would take years of conditioning and training; he encouraged Tyler to aim for his cross country run when he was in his early 30’s and he helped guide Tyler to a new goal of running across the state of Ohio. On June 11th, 2016 that’s exactly what Tyler intends to do.
Tyler and his family believe firmly that he is living the life he created; he is LIVING with autism, not suffering from it. He has wholeheartedly embraced his uniqueness and believes that he can be a beacon of hope for others on the spectrum. He wants to encourage those living with autism, and those who are not, to embrace their own amazing qualities, set goals for themselves, and realize their dreams, and because of his ability to reach out to others, Tyler is now an accomplished inspirational speaker. He delivers his uplifting message with humor, grace, courage and a sense of humanity that many people, living with autism or not, might struggle to embrace at his age.
Tyler’s outlook on life is an inspiration. Reaching out to others, pushing the limits of his own potential, and inspiring others is his way of “giving back” the love that his family, his friends, and his community have given him.
Tyler will begin his journey in Northwestern Ohio and end in Cincinnati on a route that will take him through Westerville. Along with his coach and parents, Tyler is still working on mapping out the best route for his run; we intend to announce the route once the event date gets closer.
It would be greatly encouraging to Tyler if other runners joined him. If you’re inspired to run the entire length with Tyler, that’s great….but a mile or two will do just as well. Come out and be a part of the greatest journey of Tyler’s life.
A portion of the proceeds raised by Run Ohio will be donated to The Make It Fit Foundation for the purchase of additional ‘Milo the Autism Robot’ units. These cutting edge therapeutic tools will be used in schools and clinics throughout Ohio to teach children with autism spectrum disorders about social emotional situations, coping skills, and more. Click here to learn more about Make It Fit’s ‘Autism Robot’ program.
