Imagine dropping out of college not just once, but two times. That's how Valentine Torres' story begins. Her decision to go to school only when she was ready may not be the typical journey, but it changed her life for the better.
Torres grew up in South Haven and graduated from Portage High School. After graduating, she went to Indiana University Northwest for two years but got bored and dropped out. She took some time for herself and decided to give school another go at Ivy Tech Community College but still couldn’t get back into it.
Torres went back to working and started making pretty good money, but eventually she got to the point where she couldn’t move up anymore. Angry, Torres decided to go back to school one and for all to major in Business at the University of Phoenix.
After graduating, Torres became a career liaison for University of Phoenix. She spent several years working and helping adults in their career journeys, but decided one day that she wanted to make a change. She wanted to have more time for her family but still be able to help people. An idea hit her.
“A common thing I would always hear adults say is ‘when I was in high school I wish I would have known this.’ I had been thinking about making a career change to spend more time with my kids, and one day I was just driving by Hobart High School and it hit me: I should try to get into the school system and work with students the same way I’ve been working with adults so that when they enter adulthood they won’t have as many of the obstacles,” said Torres.
Torres went and talked to the superintendent about her vision. The superintendent was on the exact same page and hired Torres on as Hobart High School’s career advisor. Torres advised students for five years and during that time managed to earn her MBA online from Northcentral University.
Eventually, a position opened up in Hobart High School’s business department. As soon as she heard about the position, Torres knew becoming a business teacher was her next calling.
“When I was in high school, I loved my business classes. They helped me get really good jobs after high school, even before I finished college, because they taught me about resumes and portfolios and how to interview well. I instantly knew I wanted to go into the business department--we had a good program but we just needed more teachers on the ground,” said Torres.
Torres took the business teacher position without a second thought and she’s been teaching ever since. The road to her teaching career was long, but she couldn’t be happier with where she’s ended up in life.
The best advice Torres can give to anyone thinking about making a pivot in their life is to just make a plan and go for it. As long as you have a plan, things normally work out.
“Make the switch. If that’s what you want just make the switch. It doesn’t mean you have to completely quit what you’re doing, but write down your goals and plan them out. We always talk about making business plans but we don’t talk about making life plans enough, just like you would make a business plan, make a personal plan because your life is your business,” said Torres.
Torres has two main goals going into the future: to spend more time with her loved ones and keep building Hobart High School’s business program.
“The program is already built but I want to make it massive. I want to make sure each of our young adults in high school know how much they can get on top of their high school diploma--they can get technical certificates and associate’s degrees. I want to help them get certifications behind their names so they can go out into the world and earn the kind of money they want to earn,” said Torres.
Torres is grateful to her parents for teaching her so much and helping her become the person she is today.
“I grew up with two Puerto Rican parents and they were an open book with me. They were always transparent with me and never sugarcoated anything for me and I am so grateful for that,” said Torres.
She’s also thankful for her husband and kids for always being the bright spots in her life.
“My kids are never afraid to ask me questions which I love, and my husband is my peace. We’re the total opposite of each other, but he’s my silent cheerleader and the most loyal man I’ve ever met,” said Torres.
All in all, Torres’ story proves that the best thing you can possibly be in life is yourself. So, don’t be afraid to go out and take risks and make changes--only you get to decide what makes you happy.
“Only you can define you. There are so many people out there who allow other people to define them whether that comes from bullying, or verbal abuse, or the junk they watch on social media. You just have to remember that you have full control of who you are and how you define yourself and how you want people to see you,” said Torres.