Tylor Seastrum

Student

For Bay College student Tylor Seastrum, college has been an opportunity to learn about technology while working in the field. He is now finishing up the last few credits needed to complete his associate degree in computer network systems security (CNSS). Along with this, Tylor is hard at work as a laboratory assistant for Bay’s CNSS and geographic information systems (GIS) departments.

During Tylor’s childhood, his family moved across the country multiple times.

“I was born in California, moved to Michigan for seven years, and moved to Texas for two years. Then, I moved to Washington State for 10 years,” he said.

In 2019, Tylor graduated from Graham-Kapowsin High School in Graham, WA. After that, he studied for a year at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, WA, where he focused on CNSS.

Tylor transferred to Bay College after his father, Seth Seastrum, was hired as an IT administrator at the college.

“My dad got a job here, so my entire family followed,” he said.

He began taking classes at Bay in the winter 2021 semester and continued to pursue an associate degree in CNSS.

“Most of my credits transferred really nicely to Bay,” Tylor said.

According to Tylor, this field of study was a natural fit due to his lifelong interest in technology.

“I’ve always had a knack for computers. Back in high school, I went to the Pierce County Skill Center (in Puyallup, WA). It’s like a technical college, but for high schoolers,” he said.

Tylor said he has been able to have a lighter course load at Bay than at his last college. He has also appreciated the support provided by his instructors, including CNSS/GIS instructor Karl Linderoth.

“I respect him a great amount. He’s helped me through the program and helped me get into the job position I’m at right now,” he said.

Previously, Tylor worked at the college’s help desk and is now a laboratory assistant on campus. He takes care of IT-related tasks for Bay’s CNSS and GIS departments: like working on server maintenance and updates, and assist the college’s students, faculty, and staff members as needed.

Thanks to his expertise in the IT-arena, Tylor was recently asked to judge and be an advisor at this year’s SkillsUSA computer maintenance competition. “That’s close to my heart, because I’ve been doing that [SkillsUSA competition] every year since high school,” he said.

Though he is nearly finished with his degree, Tylor has not technically graduated from Bay yet. He will formally graduate at the end of the winter 2022 semester.

Beyond that point, Tylor is still thinking about what to do next. He may continue in his position at Bay or move out of the state to find work elsewhere.

“That is pretty much in limbo at the moment. There are about 10 different ways it could go,” he said.

No matter what happens, Tylor said he is glad that Bay has helped him prepare for what’s next.

“It’s given me a lot of experience that will be very beneficial for my future,” he said.