For someone who despises the cold as much as Korie Torres, she found a home at Simpson College and has flourished during her time on campus.

Torres made the trek from Houston, Texas to swim for the college after being recruited during her junior year of high school. She later quit because of a dislike for swimming during the winter.

“I quit after my freshman year because I did not enjoy my nose hair and eyelashes freezing together when I got out of the pool,” Torres said.

Despite a dislike for Iowa winters, she stuck it out for the professors and the networking opportunities. Torres said both chair of the religion department Maeve Callan and assistant football coach George Love helped her and pushed her to be who she is today.

“They have pushed me to be successful and also allow me to be who I am without having to change certain parts of me that I’m proud of,” Torres said.

During her time at Simpson, Torres has been involved in many clubs and organizations, but she said most of her time was devoted to work as the World Language and Cultural studies program UGA, Admissions Ambassador and senior class president.

Torres said that her favorite place on campus is College Hall because of her work there in Admissions. 

“I think I just know everybody in the building, I consider Admissions like my family so it’s just a place of comfortability,” Torres said.

Looking back on her time spent on campus she said that her favorite memory is in the fall of 2020 when the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests took place on campus.

“The night before I stayed up with the rest of SGA until like 3 a.m. creating a list of demands with BSU [the Black Student Union], and I made the conscious decision that I was going to be marching and protesting in solidarity with my fellow Black peers and students. To see the whole campus come together on that day of unity and outrage, it was surreal,” Torres said.

Torres will be graduating with majors in political science, Spanish and international relations. She will also have a minor in Latin American studies.

Following graduation, Torres’s next stop will be graduate school. She was accepted by both George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington D.C. and the University of Denver Korbel School of International Studies.

“I’ve decided to pursue my graduate studies at DU in Denver,” she said.

She starts classes in September at the university.

“I’m a little nervous, but it’s going to be exciting,” Torres said.

 For advice for first-years, Torres wants to reassure them about friendships made on campus.

“I would say that your first friends on campus will not be your last and people are going to change and branch out. So don’t be surprised when you hit senior year and the friends you first made on campus are not still your friends. Not in a bad way, but just that you grow, and you find your niche and you make new relations with a lot of different people,” she said.

Torres admits she will miss the people most from Simpson, but said she is ready for her next chapter.