By Mitalee Mehta
August 24, 2009
Tyler Dube learned two skills as a teen-ager that still guide his life: running a small business and playing the trumpet.
For the past six years, the civil engineering senior has run a lucrative landscaping business (Dube Lawn Service). Now, his passion for music is about to pay dividends as well.
This fall, Dube has the honor of leading the illustrious 380-member Longhorn Band onto the football field wearing the distinctive, mostly-white uniform reserved for the drum major. It’s the second consecutive year an engineering student has been named drum major, and the 12th overall in the band’s history.
Dube, whose step-father, Tom Glass, (a former Longhorn Band member) introduced him to the trumpet in the sixth grade, says the constant challenge music provides is appealing to engineering students. Not to mention it’s a respite from school and work.
“With band, you get to play hard with your closest friends,” he says. “That’s probably why we have so many engineering majors in the band. We are so ready to close the textbooks and do something else at the end of the day.”
Dube admits his hectic schedule (which includes work, school and band) is a delicate balancing act but one any student can master.
“To successfully manage all of these things you need to set your priorities, be willing and able to compromise at all times, keep a positive outlook when things don't go your way, and be pleasantly surprised when they do,” he says. “I don't always balance my commitments perfectly, but I've gotten to the point where I can come up with a pretty good ‘plan B’ when schedules conflict.”
All that planning might pay off during a year that could result in a national football title.
“I'm hoping that the stars will align this season, and we'll go to a national championship and win!” Dube says. “I don't think anyone could have timed it better.”
To support students like Tyler Dube, become a donor to the Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship Program.
About the Cockrell School of Engineering:
The Cockrell School ranks among the top ten engineering programs in the United States and aspires to move into the top five. With the nation's fourth highest number of faculty members elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the Cockrell School's more than 7,000 students work with many of the world's finest engineering educators and researchers. This environment prepares graduates to become engineering leaders and innovators working for the betterment of society.
