Manor College Graduate Turns Adversity Into Duty to Serve

Jacob Torres (Cedar Creek High School – Mays Landing, NJ) graduates with his Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management.

As the cold, off-the-ocean air swept through the outlet stores in Atlantic City, Jacob Torres’ thoughts drifted towards the unhoused people he saw along his walk home.

Even as a kid, if he had a bag of chips, or some candy, he’d hand them over. He never had more than a couple dollars in his pocket to give them.

Torres always felt a sense of duty to take care of those who needed it. Torres was 11 when he and his five siblings were taken away from their mother while she dealt with alcohol and substance abuse. Torres and his four younger siblings were put into the Child Protection system.

“I felt like it was my duty to take care of them,” Torres said. “I wanted to be the person that they look up to and say, ‘You’re going through this, and I know it’s hard, but your brother got out. You can, too.”

Life in the system wasn’t the easiest. Torres’ oldest brother went to live with an aunt. The rest were split up into homes under Division of Youth and Family Services – Torres and one brother at one home, the other three at another.

Torres and his siblings moved a lot from home to home, especially in the beginning, he said. All the while, Torres dealt with his own anger and disobedience issues.

“I felt like my mom gave up on us,” Torres said. “I didn’t grow up with a father and never met my dad. I don’t think I ever will. I wasn’t around my siblings. That was the root of my anger.”

His life shifted for the better when he was sent to Ranch Hope, a non-profit organization in Salem County, New Jersey that provides treatment, mental health services and education to youth and families.

“That changed my whole demeanor,” Torres said. “I didn’t know how to deal with what I was facing. Ranch Hope helped me get rid of a lot of anger issues there.”

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Torres continues to feel that duty to others to this day. While a student at Manor College, he linked up with Dr. Cherie Crosby-Weeks, and often found himself giving back to the local community through various service projects. He’s led several of his own, including Batting for 400, which benefitted TLC for the People’s Monthly Outreach, and several gift bag and card writing events for the Breathing Room Foundation.

“They surround themselves with good people – Dr. Crosby-Weeks, Leslie Weinfeld, Professor Tom Sims, those are people that want to help out and do good for others,” Torres said. “They are someone like I want to become. I want to do what’s needed of me, to go out and do more for people that can’t.”

“Jacob stands out because, when he volunteers, he does so selfishly, yet he truly embodies what it means to have an altruistic life,” Crosby-Weeks said. “He understands the importance of helping to encourage others to give back.”

At Manor, Torres found support from many of his professors, including Crosby-Weeks and Weinfeld, who he said often went out of her way to help him.

“Professors want you to succeed and she is the number one prime example of that,” Torres said. “She’s got kids and grandkids, but no matter what, she is always there and always willing to help.”

On Torres, Weinfeld said he embodies what she loves most in a student – someone who isn’t afraid to participate and help other students.

“Jacob made it so classes weren’t just teaching and showing, it was a group engagement,” Weinfeld said. “He made others comfortable participating in class by participating himself. He helped bring out other students from being shy.”

“He encouraged others to participate through his own participation in class,” Weinfeld said. “Just talking out in class, showing how he got to answers, helped others feel less intimidated.

In May, Torres graduates from Manor College with his Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management from Manor College. He’ll be the first member of his family to do so.

“It feels unreal,” Torres said. “It means everything to me. I’m finally becoming someone my family can look up to and be proud of.”

With his degree, Torres hopes to continue to serve others. He currently coaches basketball for Christian Youth Basketball Association. His advice to current students is to find your passion and not to let your past define you.

“Find what you love to do and just keep going,” Torres said. “Don’t let your past be your excuse. It should be something you overcome. Let it be your strength, your integrity and your resilience.”