{"id":84180,"date":"2025-12-15T18:10:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/84180\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T18:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:10:20","slug":"fgcu-student-to-instructor-eagle-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/84180\/","title":{"rendered":"FGCU student to instructor \u2013 Eagle Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/a> <\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Tyler Gibson<\/p>\n

College is a place where students discover their futures. An unrecognized part of this process is the professors who introduce students to these topics. For FGCU alumnus Tyler Gibson, he wanted to make the same difference his professors made in his life, so he returned to the university to teach the same classes he took as a student.<\/p>\n

His drive for success began early. At 10 years old, he created Tyler\u2019s Bible Newsletter, a monthly Christian bulletin, and by 12, he was already interning for his local newspaper. Over the years, Gibson has continued to pursue freelance work alongside his full-time teaching career.<\/p>\n

Gibson completed his undergraduate studies at FGCU in 2017, earning a bachelor\u2019s in communications with a concentration in public relations before obtaining his master\u2019s in mass communication from the University of Florida in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the first time I walked onto a college campus,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cMy anxiety was overwhelming, and the thought of sitting in a room full of people I didn\u2019t know felt like too much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Gibson gravitated toward teaching after seeing firsthand the difference educators can make in students\u2019 lives. Having been on both sides of the classroom at FGCU marks a significant and bittersweet milestone in his young career, with faculty largely unchanged since his student days.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I can look back, see the growth, and even laugh a little. Who would\u2019ve thought that years later I\u2019d have the honor of meeting and interacting with new students every semester?\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

Gibson\u2019s life changed when he came across an opening for an adjunct professor at FGCU and applied on a whim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing led to another, and just forty-eight hours after walking across the stage at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, I was back at my alma mater, teaching my first class in Merwin Hall,\u201d\u00a0Gibson\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Gibson views teaching as a way of serving others and feels blessed to have the opportunity to do so at his alma mater. He calls the unique opportunity of teaching alongside his former professors a privilege.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven as colleagues, they continue to guide and mentor me,\u201d Gibson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Colleagues describe Gibson as passionate about student success and eager to bring real-world industry knowledge into the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s personally very rewarding to see Professor Gibson transition from being an Eagle grad to an Eagle instructor. It\u2019s thrilling to see a former student become a colleague, but more importantly, I\u2019m excited for our students,\u201d said public relations professor Kara Winton.<\/p>\n

He aims to continue to mentor his students after they graduate, as his professors did for him in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing students grow and evolve, I love that I can witness that firsthand,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cSeveral come by office hours just to update me on what\u2019s happening in their lives. My job is fulfilled not just by what I teach in the classroom, but also by learning how students are applying those skills in other classes or in the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson shies away from the traditional lecture-based lesson plan approach, opting for a more high-energy, open dialogue-centered teaching style to allow for greater connection, helping students to learn and absorb information more effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe makes class fun. It\u2019s not daunting every time I walk in there,\u201d said freshman Elizabeth Krizek, one of Gibson\u2019s students.<\/p>\n

Gibson\u2019s work extends far beyond the classroom. He is also an entrepreneur, helping brands \u2018tell their story with purpose\u2019 under his business Eagle Marketing & Design. All this has culminated in him earning the 2025 Faculty Member of the Year as an instructor in the Department of Communication & Philosophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has boundless energy and a deep love of helping our students. His return to FGCU is a win-win for Professor Gibson himself, the university, our students, and his colleagues,\u201d said Winton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy of Tyler Gibson College is a place where students discover their futures. An unrecognized part of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-84180","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}