Tylor Teel ’11

Tylor Teel ’11 enrolled at Milton Hershey School as an eighth-grader ready for a new beginning filled with love, support, and opportunity.

While a student at MHS, Tylor followed in the Engineering and Design Career and Technical Education pathway where he found his passion for architecture and design. After graduating from MHS in 2011, he attended Lehigh University and studied architecture—never imagining that he would find his way back to his alma mater in Hershey.

What Tylor did not know when he graduated high school was that Milton and Catherine Hershey’s vision would inspire him to open his heart to children in need—while influencing him to give back to the home and school that continues to hold a special place in his heart.

After spending a few years out of college working and coming back to MHS to help with the Year-Round Experiences program, Tylor decided he wanted to work full time with the school to give back for all he had been given. In July 2018, Tylor became a full-time MHS employee working as a transitional living assistant.

 “I wanted to come back to MHS to better prepare students for the world outside MHS,” Tylor shared.

Knowing that he loved working with kids and could connect to the experiences that current MHS students are facing, he knew it would be a perfect fit.

Tylor participated in the TL program during his senior year at MHS and sees how much the program has evolved since he was a student, making him more passionate about preparing the next generation of students to leave their mark on the world.

In TL, Tylor works alongside two other staff members who teach students life skills and become a support system for them—giving students tools they can use in the military, the world of work, or college. The TL curriculum combines academic, social-emotional, and career development to ensure that every graduating senior will succeed once they leave MHS.

He recognizes and appreciates that in TL, students and staff are having and preparing for difficult conversations. It gives students the ability to fail within a safe environment where MHS can help them learn from their mistakes.

“My favorite part of being a TL staff member is building strong relationships with students,” he said. “I have the ability to help my students become men, but also have fun with them, and that is what being a TL staff member is all about.”

For Tylor, when working with students, his number one goal is always to invest in the students’ lives. “If you’re not ready to invest in the lives of students, this isn’t the job for you,” said Tylor.

Many of his experiences as an MHS student have shaped the way he interacts with students and the ability he has to connect with them on a very personal level. Tylor tries every day to be the staff member he would have admired as a student. “My job isn’t done. As an alum, I am supposed to continue being a support for my younger MHS brothers and sisters,” he shared.

Tylor credits MHS with shaping who he has become, from being a student, and now being a TL staff member, he is forever grateful to MHS and the continuous opportunities it has provided him.