Soon after Benny Torres graduated in 2007 from University of Florida with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and advertising, he began his career working at Leo Burnett in Chicago.
At first, it was a dream come true for Torres, who worked on the Nintendo account. But after a while, Torres realized that his job was not as fulfilling as he thought it would be. He knew he had to be honest with himself about the position. He decided to leave his job.
“Yes, this was my dream job and my dream client, but it wasn’t making me happy,” Torres said, “and I couldn’t deny that. So, I just kinda had to move on and figure out what was next.”
What was next was travel. Torres took the opportunity to explore the world. After that, he worked at various positions and eventually found himself back in Gainesville. Torres had kept in touch with his UF professors, and this connection lead to his returning to his alma mater as a visiting lecturer. This opportunity lead to another dream of his when a teaching position opened at UF.
His experiences have taught him a lot. He is enjoying himself, living his best life and being himself.
“As I’ve gotten a little bit older, and even as I have entered UF, what I’ve realized is that my heritage and my background and being expressive about that is super important,” Torres said. “Not just from a representation stand point, but it is also important just to bring my unique perspective to the table.”