Not only is Aisha Tyler a hilarious comedian and talk show host, she is also a talented actress who has engaged and entertained audiences across multiple platforms over the years. Born in 1970, Tyler grew up in the San Francisco area before abandoning a career as an advertising executive to pursue her dreams of performing in the spotlight. As an actress, she is known for her roles on "Friends," "24," and "Criminal Minds,” among many others. She has voiced the character of Lana for 12 seasons on FXX’s Emmy Award-winning animated series "Archer," and continues to host CW’s improv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" On top of that, for seven seasons, Tyler was a co-host of CBS’ daytime show “The Talk,” from which she departed in 2017 to focus more on acting and directing. Behind the camera, Tyler is equally talented, currently directing AMC’s "Fear the Walking Dead." Furthermore, she received wide acclaim for her feature directorial debut "AXIS," an indie psychological thriller that won awards at numerous festivals.

Besides being one of Hollywood's most charismatic performers, Tyler is also one of the smartest. In 1988 she enrolled at Dartmouth College, thinking that she would become a lawyer. It didn't take long, however, before Tyler discovered her passion for performing. While a student, she co-founded and sang in the Dartmouth Rockapellas, an all-female a cappella group devoted to spreading social awareness through song. That wasn’t her only extracurricular either since Tyler was also a member of The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity. In 1992 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and environmental studies.

After decades of entertaining the American public, Tyler finally returned to her university roots in 2012 to help Dartmouth celebrate the 50th anniversary of its much-cherished performing arts hub: the Hopkins Center. Putting her finely tuned MC talents to good use, Tyler hosted “Igniting Imagination—A Salute to the Hop’s 50 Years!” The multimedia show, which was part of a long weekend celebration, included inspirational music, theater, and dance by distinguished guests, Dartmouth student artists, faculty, and alumni. For Tyler's part, she performed a long conversation entirely in "Dartmouth lingo" alongside Rachel Dratch (’88) in one of the show’s most memorable moments. This was followed by a Q&A with Tyler, who was asked about her time at Dartmouth and the importance of arts in an academic setting.

"I think it's obvious. [The arts] reinforce other intellectual disciplines: math and problem solving and conceptual evaluation. What I didn't really figure out until I'd been at Dartmouth for a little while was that I could come up with completely original ideas and argue on their behalf," said Tyler. "As an adult, it's definitely been the central aspect of my growth. It made me a bolder thinker and a more interesting person, and it made me more confident in my choices."