Tyiana Nunez — a successful, thriving, and well-rounded student leader

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(Photo courtesy stac.edu): Tyiana Nunez is pictured.

Jadyn Vargas, Reporter

There is no doubt that being in college is difficult. You have to endure a tremendous amount of changes and a difficult workload.

It is easy to forget that staying involved is as important as it is. Being involved in extracurricular activities and just in general around your college campus is something to keep in mind and something you want on your resume.

There’s nothing that shows a more well-rounded student than someone who is involved.

I wish I had been aware of how important it truly is.

Being extremely close to someone who has absolutely mastered being the busiest of the busy has definitely opened my eyes, and I’ve learned so much from her.

This young woman is arguably the most involved, well-known person on campus. She is a role model to so many, including myself.

Tyiana Nunez is finishing up her last semester here at St. Thomas Aquinas College and will be graduating next week with her MPA in Criminal Justice. As an undergraduate student, Tyiana studied Criminal Justice and even had a minor in Forensic Psychology.

Tyiana is from Westwood, NJ, and lives with her loving and supportive mother and siblings. She resides on campus most of the time, especially because of how busy she is.

Tyiana excels in everything she does and she has been involved tremendously around campus.

She has experience serving as an orientation leader, orientation coordinator, resident assistant, student representative on the Board of Trustees, PRIME leader, Spartan Ambassador, vice president of the Criminal Justice Honor Society, vice president of the Criminal Justice Club, student worker of student activities, tutor in the Center for Academic Excellence, president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, captain of the STAC cheerleading team, and liaison for the Future Leaders in Healthcare (FLIHC) club.

Some other extracurricular activities she is and has been involved in include the LEAD Program, the women’s track and field team, the women’s triathlon team, STACapella, STAC Singers, and Laetare Players.

She has sung the national anthem at baseball, basketball, and football games as well as at track meets. Tyiana has given speeches at the STAC President’s golf outing and at the STAC tribute dinner. In fact, at this annual tribute dinner she is the first person to both give the student speech and sing the national anthem.

Tyiana has internship experience at the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office BCI Unit and the STAC forensic science summer camp.

With the amount on her plate, it can be difficult to maintain and keep up with it all, so Tyiana shared some details and tips on how it has been balancing the demands of her everyday life, school work, and these extracurricular activities.

(Photo courtesy stac.edu): Tyiana Nunez competes at a track meet.

She expressed how important it is to have a planner/calendar. She absolutely swears by this and doesn’t think she could have managed without it. She explained how writing everything down is extremely helpful.

Time management is another major aspect of success when balancing it all. She explained how she tries and plans out every week one week ahead of time.

Organization is a huge step in being successful throughout college to Tyiana. She finished off this thought with some advice.

“Get involved and take advantage of all the opportunities STAC has to offer!” Tyiana said. “You never know where it could take you or how it could help you in the future. Have fun, enjoy it while it lasts!”

Like any aspect of life, there are pros and cons. I was curious as to what Tyiana would have to say about the pros and cons of being so involved around campus.

She explained how many opportunities she has received by simply putting herself out there for these clubs and extracurricular activities.

Tyiana has made so many long-lasting friendships and memories. She has had a lot of success in networking as well. The opportunities she has come across from being so involved have made all the difference.

Tyiana said that the only real negative aspect to being so involved, is how mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting it can be at times.

However, she was very adamant about it being extremely worth it, even when times get difficult.

She then discussed her personal experience with STAC and the success she has had.

(Photo courtesy stac.edu): This is Tyiana Nunez’s Orientation Coordinator headshot.

“STAC has granted me so many opportunities and has always been there to support me to this day. From giving speeches, being on boards, and using my voice within my time at STAC has allowed me to make a difference in this community and I can’t wait to go out in the world and do the same,” she said.

It was a pleasure speaking with Tyiana, as always, and I definitely learned something new and got an inside view of how it truly feels to be so involved on campus.

If I could go back, I undoubtedly would be more involved, in every aspect. It’s truly an inspiration to see someone be so successful and thrive, even while so busy. Thank you, Tyiana!