The Maucker Union Ballroom was packed as students gathered for the Campus Activities Board’s speaker, Tyler Oakley, on Thursday. Hours before the actual talk, students lined the walkway leading into Lang Hall. 

Tyler Oakley makes videos and posts them to YouTube and can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Aside from creating YouTube videos, he is an advocate for LGBTQ* youth and works with the Trevor Project, which concentrates on suicide prevention for LGBTQ* youth. 

Lauren Hanna, senior communication major and Campus Activities Board Speakers Committee Executive, said CAB decided to bring something lighthearted to the table for the spring semester after having hosted To Write Love On Her Arm’s founder Jamie Tworkowski in November. 

“Tyler is very fun and relevant in pop culture so there were no doubts that there would be a great turnout and it would be enjoyable,” said Hanna.

 Genevieve Moravek, freshman psychology and social work double major, had discovered Tyler Oakley while watching another YouTuber, Conner Franta. “I just came with my friend, I’ve only seen a couple [of his videos] to be honest.”

“His time at UNI was very lighthearted and interactive which made the presentation very laid back. . . .Tyler was all over the place and told a ton of awesome stories; if you’ve ever seen his videos, he was exactly like he is in his videos in person,” Hanna said. 

Oakley took audience questions and told some stories such as interviewing the Obamas. Korey Kuhl, a friend of Oakley’s, accompanied him and helped keep him on track whenever he veered off in his stories.

“I love that he isn’t afraid to be himself and is always willing to share his opinion. He is hilarious, fun and his laugh is infectious. He is who he is and he’s not afraid to ‘do him’ as he would say,” Hanna said. “I personally enjoy him because he is sassy and sarcastic and we are one in the same in that sense.”

For Moravek, the burning question involved hair dye as she said, “How many times does he dye his hair? Just saying, he dyes it all the time. I need to know.”

“Because this presentation was more lighthearted and fun I just wanted people to be able to experience the Tyler Oakley we all see in his videos,” Hanna said. “He is always so fun and upbeat and that shines in all his videos, it was awesome to see that he was so genuine.”