Inspired by Professor Torres in National Role Model Month

Professor Robin Torres is not someone who heads straight home when class is over. She can be found sitting at her desk, happily awaiting impromptu visits from students and friends. 

While her door is normally open to offer candy or lend a hear to talk to, her availability has switched to email due to COVID-19. Torres had to take precautionary measures by putting a baby gate at her door because people still fly into her room.

“My connection with my students is very important to me,” Torres said.

Professor Robin Torres is a role model on campus and shows the importance of faculty mentors engaging with the Marist community. Photo provided by https://www.marist.edu/student-life/first-year-program/meet-mentor/robin-diller-torres

Although I was unable to sit down with her, my recent visit with Professor Torres was still an incredible pleasure. Speaking from behind the baby gate, her friendliness and kindness is something that she just can’t put away as she slipped me a few lollipops.

Sometimes it’s difficult to be positive in times of great unrest, like COVID-19 has shown. However, having someone to inspire you everyday is crucial. Oftentimes we need someone else to show us that what we’re struggling through, is in fact, possible to overcome. Citing the 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index, Inside Higher Ed reported that faculty mentors are pivotal to student success. Among the graduate students that said they had a mentor that “encouraged their goals and dreams,” 64% of these mentors were the students’ professors.  

The Marist campus has an overwhelming amount of kind-hearted faculty willing to work with students — Professor Torres being one of them. She is not only a great teacher, but someone who radiates positivity, kindness and individuality. November is National Role Model Month and Professor Torres is undoubtedly deserving of this title. 

An 8 a.m. class isn’t ideal for any student. However, taking a class with Professor Torres at 8 a.m. last semester inspired me to start the day in the same optimistic fashion as she did.

On the first day of class, she addressed her visual impairment in one eye. Some may see this as a setback, but she embraced her individuality. In doing so, she made me recognize that all the things that I thought were strange about myself, were actually all the things that make me uniquely beautiful. 

As she is able to see the best in any situation, she inspires me to look for the best moments in each day, despite the grave tone that surrounds today’s world.

“I’m attending more events now because it’s easier to log onto Zoom than to drive there,” Torres said. With her positive attitude regarding something so negative, she reminds me that despite the challenges COVID-19, there are some great things that have come from it.

Encountering a staff member who influences and motivates you offers many benefits. Being on campus and away from home is frightening, but having someone to turn to is extremely reassuring. Similarly, having a teacher as a role model allows me to check my personal goals at least once a week. Seeing her in class serves as a reminder of the well-rounded person I am striving to become. 

Professor Torres truly makes a point of ensuring her students are heard. Raising your hand in class can sometimes be stressful, but Professor Torres never makes a student insecure or worried to answer a question. Her kindness has given me the confidence to speak proudly in front of my classes. This is a common benefit from having a role model. A University of Northern Iowa study found that faculty role models encourage college-age women to take more pride in their abilities, increasing overall self-esteem. “College-age women with contemporary role models had significantly higher self-esteem scores than those without current role models,” the study reported.

Having a role model or mentor, whether it is someone from the Marist community or outside, is extremely beneficial. They influence our actions and motivate us to uncover our true potential, which Professor Torres has done for me. When looking for a role model, search for an individual who will encourage you to become the best version of yourself. And if you can’t find a role model, be one for someone else.