Christina Ann Torres

My CCNY journey started when the Honors Program had an admitted student's day. We all sat in the Great Hall and talked about how Einstein gave his first speech to the United States on the theory of relativity in that same hall. Being an absolute science nerd, I was automatically hooked. I decided to attend CCNY as an undecided science major. Little did I know that CCNY would change my life. The Division of Science opened my eyes to the scope of research in the sciences, and I started researching in 2015. Dr. Amy Berkov was my research advisor, and I ultimately changed my major from undecided science to biology on a BS/MS track. I studied the community composition of a family of wood-boring beetles in the Neotropics. I presented my work during my time at CCNY at local, national, and international conferences. I was also part of the RISE Program, through which I received funding for my research and conferences. Towards the end of my BS/MS, I realized that my favorite part about science teaching others about it. This passion for science communication brought me to the Zahn Innovation Center on CCNY's campus to create the company See Thru. We created the first software that automatically communicated the science behind the ingredients in the products that you use every day. I ended up working on that company for about two years. The mentorship that I encountered through all of these different programs at CCNY shaped me into who I am today. Even though I graduated in January 2019, I'm still involved with CCNY as a mentor at the Zahn Innovation Center and as the Head of Education for Harlem Launch Alliance, which is an organization affiliated with CCNY's School of Engineering. I am pursuing a PhD in science education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I'm also an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology where I teach an Ecology and Environmental Problems course to students that want to pursue sustainable fashion.