Torres, Antonio, October 30, 2014. Antonio Torres begins by discussing his cultural background, being raised in Chile, and his education from elementary school to his undergraduate degree in Chile, to his masters and PhD at MIT in the United States. Torres then talks about his first mentor, his decision to come to Oregon State University, and his first impressions thereof. After this, he discusses his love of travel before delving into his jobs duties at Oregon State, including his role as a researcher and as an instructor. Because of the community at OSU, Torres notes several people he sees as people of importance to him from EOP and his graduate students. Also included in this is the importance of the creative architecture of some of OSU’s buildings. The interview switches to discuss diversity when Torres details personal experiences he had when first arriving in Corvallis. He has seen an increase in diversity over the years, and he highlights this when discusses the cultural centers. Building on this, Torres articulates Oregon State’s role in supporting faculty and students of color and his recommendations to improve that role. He then expresses frustration over the campus’ overutilization of its buildings before highlighting the differences between teaching in the United States and teaching overseas. He then details his scholarship program and the student successes therein. To end the interview, Torres reveals some of his greatest accomplishments: his students and his kids. [Interview conducted by Jacob Dimm, Nick Hawkins, and Jacob Novotny as part of the Fall 2014 U-Engage ALS 199 “Untold Stories: Histories of People of Color in Oregon” OSU Faculty/Staff Oral History Project compiled to create the digital book Untold Stories: Oral Histories of Faculty & Staff of Color at Oregon State University. Video available online.
