Giving it his all to give back

By Margaret Wilson

If you were to ask any student about the moment they decided on their career path, the likelihood of hearing “lying in a pile of rubble during a simulated disaster situation” is pretty low.

But for Tyler Roberts ’25, recipient of the 2025 George Wharton Pepper Prize, that’s exactly where he was. During a disaster preparedness course run by his mother, who works as a firefighter paramedic and a medical specialist on a FEMA urban search-and-rescue team, Roberts and his brother acted as volunteers. Watching the paramedics respond to the “injured,” Roberts knew that healing people would be his life’s path. 

“To be surrounded by all these doctors and paramedics, I was like, ‘This is so cool. I want to do this, I want to be a doctor,’” Roberts says. “I was trying to learn as much as I could, and with every experience I had in the medical field, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I can combine a love of science with helping people. It’s the perfect opportunity to use my desire for learning more to help give back and bring some relief to people.” 

Roberts, who plays tight end for the Lafayette football team, learned early in the college recruiting process that his choice of school could impact his goals. Choosing a school that would not only allow him to be a student-athlete with a STEM-heavy schedule, but would encourage it, was crucial to achieving his dreams. 

“I told the coaches I knew I wanted to come in and do biochemistry. I had some schools say, ‘Yeah, that’s going to be really hard to do,’” Roberts says. “The coaches here not only endorsed it, but embraced it. It was a really special thing.” 

Eventually Roberts declared a dual major in biochemistry and neuroscience with a minor in biotechnology and bioengineering. 

Photo by Rick Smith

As an athlete with a demanding academic schedule that has also included EXCEL research, winning the 2023 LVACS Organic Chemistry Scholarship Grand Prize, and serving as a Supplemental Instruction Leader in chemistry, Roberts acknowledges he’s had to learn to prioritize. 

“It’s a lot of fairly strict time management,” he says. “If you were to talk to most student-athletes, I think they would agree that it’s almost easier to manage your time in season, because you just have to get stuff done. You don’t have a choice.” 

But Roberts did have a choice about going above and beyond, a decision he made wholeheartedly. In addition to his athletic and academic responsibilities, he spent much of his sophomore year volunteering for the Easton Emergency Squad. Originally from California, Roberts says volunteering within Easton helped him connect with his home away from home. 

“It helped open my eyes to the fact that Easton is not just a city where I’ve been living for a couple years,” he says. “Hearing the love of the city [from colleagues and patients] was a really special thing. It added a ‘people’ connection.” 

What also made Easton into a home was the community he was able to build with fellow athletes and even his professors. Roberts has spent three years acting as a student-athlete peer mentor, and met his girlfriend, whom he credits with encouraging his academic and athletic success, in an incoming athletes chat group before his first year. 

On the academic side, his adviser, Chip Nataro, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor and head of chemistry, worked hard to help Roberts plan out his double major, helped him find summer research opportunities, and acted as a mentor as Roberts juggled his responsibilities throughout college. 

“The professors are phenomenal, and anyone coming to Lafayette should try and maximize the interactions that you have with them,” he says. “They’re all here at an undergraduate-only institution because they want to teach undergraduates. They’re here to teach and help you succeed, but it’s up to you to go out and seek those connections.” 

When asked what it means to win the Pepper Prize, Roberts is conscious of his place in history. Between being one of a limited number to receive the honor and being given the opportunity, along with his fellow finalists, to hold the Marquis’ sword, Roberts feels the weight of this moment. 

“It’s been humbling and inspiring,” he says. “I remember [hearing about Pepper Prize] my first year, and now, being in the position where my name will be with the dozens of other people who came before, is a really cool thing to think about.” 

Following graduation, Roberts will be attending University of California Irvine School of Medicine, with a hope to specialize in either neurosurgery or emergency medicine. 

Photo by JaQuan Alston

Whether he’s on the field or in the lab, Roberts is committed to using his skills to make a difference in the world. 

“We all struggle, we all have triumphs, and that’s going to look different for each and every person,” he says. “It’s all about remembering this, and knowing at the end of the day, we’re all people, and we’re here to help each other.”