A College Football Fanatic

Name: Tyrone JeanPosition: Assistant director, Center for Multicultural AffairsYears at Duke: 5

What I do at Duke: I primarily do cultural education and training for students, staff and faculty and I also advise student organizations and clubs while managing the Center for Multicultural Affairs’ daily logistics. There are some programs I oversee, like Culture Clash and the Common Ground retreat.

If I had $5 million, I would: Start scholarships to underrepresented populations in higher education. I believe that having access to finance college is getting increasingly expensive for some and it would be a huge bonus to me to enhance the life of someone else. I’d also pay off my house and save some money for my future children. I think it’d be fun to do something like Oprah does and give away things to unsuspecting people. Small things can make a person’s day, like paying for the person behind you in a drive-through.

My first ever job: When I was 15 or 16, I was the mouse at Chuck E. Cheese’s in Beltsville, Maryland. A friend told me about the opening and I did it for about two months. I left because I realized I was scaring kids. You can’t talk in the costume, so when you go up to a kid not saying any words, they get freaked out.

My dream job: I’d want to be a motivational speaker in a heartbeat, trying to uplift people’s spirits and their situations. There is a lot of power in stories of perseverance and I’d love to travel the world talking about resiliency.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: College football. I spend my Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. watching college football. All teams, all conferences – it doesn’t matter. I played football in high school and learning about teamwork and work ethic meant a lot to me. I love how it can help make you a leader.

What I love about Duke: The amazing people. There’s such a high caliber of individuals here. Out of the variety of places I’ve worked, people at Duke are some of the most friendly, down to earth people. When I first started my job at Duke, everyone extended themselves to me, helping me move into my apartment and coming to lunch with me. I didn’t expect that to happen.

When I’m not at work, I like to: I love playing basketball, running and playing with my dog, but I watch movies a lot. I go to the theater four or five times a month because I love seeing all the latest movies and talking about them on social media. I love Remember the Titans because it’s one of those movies you can watch over and over. I probably know every single word by heart.

If I could have one superpower, it would be: The power to heal. So many people in the world experience pain of all kinds, and I’d want the power to heal them.

Something most people don’t know about me: In high school I went to a junior varsity football game to be a spectator and the coach needed someone to hold the down sign for the game. When I went down, he made a comment that I was bigger than most of this offensive linemen on the team and invited me to try out the next year. I made the team and played offensive and defensive tackle.