Congratulations to counselor Selene Torres who was recently honored with the 2019 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award by the El Camino College Academic Senate. Nominated by Dean Dipte Patel and colleagues Lesley Meza and Kelsey Iino, Torres was commended for her steadfast commitment to students and the mission of El Camino College. Torres joined El Camino College during fall 2017 with assignments in Career Counseling, Outreach, Express Counseling and The Opportunity Project. In addition to counseling, she has taught human development courses and is currently the American Federation of Teachers vice president of part-time faculty.
In her short time at El Camino College, Torres has made a significant contribution to several areas within Student Services and beyond. For example, she developed workshops to increase awareness of scholarships for veterans, was a facilitator with the Green Zone training last fall, has been actively involved with Guided Pathways and drafted the pathway for the sign language interpreter training program, and when Human Development needed an instructor to teach Project Success learning community classes, Torres stepped up to teach the classes and has done so for the last two semesters. One colleague noted that Torres is a "skilled, charismatic and caring instructor who models best practices for student learning and success." The Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award was established in 2010 by the Academic Senate to honor faculty members who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to their students and profession. Selene Torres' dedication to teaching and learning has helped make El Camino College a place where students belong and succeed.