Meet Thalia Torres ’22
- Hometown
- Orlando, Florida
- Education
- Educational Leadership MA, Higher Education/College Teaching and Leadership Track from UCF
- Role
- English PhD, Rhetoric & Composition from USF; currently teaching English at USF/Valencia College
- Career
- Teaching, Leadership, and Community Engagement
As a first-generation student, Thalia Torres recognizes both the importance of education and the obstacles many students face. Driven by a passion to help others, she pursued her master’s in Educational Leadership at UCF. “My passion for continuing to pursue a degree in education is because I understand that there are many less fortunate populations … who have not reached a level of education not because they aren’t ‘smart’ but because of the many other factors that affect the success of a student,” she says.
Torres’s dedication to service extends into her community involvement. She teaches weekly poetry workshops to adults at a mental illness recovery center through the Literary Arts Partnership and mentors a high school student through the Trojan Mentorship Program with the Children’s Home Society of Florida. She also contributes to the Florida Prison Education Project, helping to offer high-quality undergraduate education to incarcerated individuals.
She first graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s in English, Literature with a minor in Psychology, and chose to continue at UCF for graduate school because of the opportunities and connections it provided. Torres also held a graduate assistantship with the Knights Major Exploration and Transition Center, gaining valuable advising experience.
After graduating in spring 2022, Torres continued her studies at the University of South Florida, completing her PhD in English, Rhetoric, and Composition in spring 2026. She currently teaches English at USF and Valencia College.
Torres advises students to slow down and enjoy the present: “Give yourself the space to enjoy what you are doing, where you are, and the people around you on this journey.”
- College Teaching and Leadership Graduate Certificate
- Professional Writing Graduate Certificate
- Graduate Assistantship with Knights Major Exploration and Transition Center advisor
- Literary Arts Partnership (LAP)
- Florida Prison Education Project (FPEP) at UCF
- Trojan Mentorship Program
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