Though many students come to Colgate with a concrete plan in terms of what they study, this often changes as they realize new subjects that pique their interest or find that the subjects which they used to love are no longer as interesting. This change is something which Natasha Torres, now an Educational Studies major and Women Studies minor, experienced.

“I was on the pre-med track taking courses in the natural sciences,” Torres said. “Long story short, I wasn’t happy.”

The American School, a course she signed up for in spring of 2013, set her down the path to her current major and minor. It was a course which opened her eyes to a bigger picture.

“Coming from a lower socioeconomic background and attending a poor public school, the critical literature I was engaged in allowed me to frame my experiences in a larger context and understand how they were a product of systemic issues of oppression,” Torres said. “Through the American School, I found my voice and my mentor and ally, Professor [Mark] Stern.”

Beyond her educational track, which is geared toward encouraging greater social justice in society, Torres is a member of an assortment of organizations. She is a president of Sisters of the Round Table (SORT), member of the Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUS) Student Advisory Council, director in the Vagina Monologues, where she is in her third year of involvement, board member of Broad Street Association, house leader of the Social Justice House (which deals with issues of systemic oppression), desk attendant at ITS and the Community Outreach and Alumni Affairs Interns for Women Studies.

Another position that has required much of Torres’ attention, especially in the past week, is her role as one of the founders of the Association of Critical Collegians (ACC), the group responsible for a recent sit-in which addressed key issues pertaining to the creation of a more inclusive culture at Colgate.

Though Torres is planning to apply to graduate school, she will take a year off after graduation. She is looking into finding an internship with social justice activists who use art as a means of resistance. 

“There are many things I will miss about Colgate,” Torres said. “This place has become my home. I have met the most important and influential in my life. That being said, I think I will miss having the people I care about at arms reach the most.”