CCS Student Annabel Torres Wins P.E.O. Scholarship
Most people go on vacation to relax and forget about the realities of life for a few days, but in Annabel Torres’s case, a casual conversation during a family vacation set her on course to return to college after an absence of more than 10 years.
After graduating from Trenton Central High School in 1991, Torres attended Mercer County Community College before transferring to Rider in 1994, hoping to study Biology and become a veterinarian. However, finding herself pulled in several different directions, she soon withdrew from the University. Her goals would have to wait more than a decade.
“I was on vacation with my family, and got into a conversation with a woman – a complete stranger – who worked at a college in Pennsylvania,” recalled Torres, who now lives in Westampton, N.J., of the talk over tea outside her hotel room. “She said, ‘you’re such a smart girl. Promise me when you get home, you’ll register for at least one class.’ Going back to school had been on my mind for a long time, but I just didn’t have the energy or enthusiasm. I was also nervous to go back.”
Still, encouraged by this encounter, Torres kept her word to the woman, whose name she never did get, and enrolled in one chemistry class in Rider University’s College of Continuing Studies (CCS) in 2006. Now, after steadily making her way through her classes, mostly one at a time, she finds herself little more than a year from a degree.
The beneficent encouragement and confidence shown in her by a stranger was not to be the last time Torres would make a believer out of someone. In August, she earned a $1,500 scholarship from the Pennington, N.J., chapter of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Sisterhood, or P.E.O. International. The grant, which she will apply to her studies immediately, has given Torres at least one luxury she has never enjoyed.
“This is the first semester I’m taking two classes,” said Torres, who also cares for her three children, 12-year-old Isaiah, Victoria, 7, and 5-year-old Annalyse. “And I’m only able to do that because of the scholarship.”
Founded in 1869, P.E.O. has grown from a membership of just seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College to nearly 250,000 members in chapters throughout the United States and Canada, with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. Driven by its enthusiasm for opportunities for women, P.E.O. exists as a source of encouragement and support for women to realize their potential in whatever worthwhile endeavor they choose.
Torres re-enrolled in CSS with an eye on chemistry, but ultimately decided to remain focused on biology. “I really enjoyed the classes, and when I worked with my adviser, Angela Gonzalez Walker (assistant dean of the College of Continuing Studies), we figured out the best route for me to get my degree,” explained Torres, who has set new professional goals for herself. “I want to go into research of pharmaceuticals and new drugs for clinical studies.”
Gonzalez Walker explained that Torres is actually a Liberal Studies major with a concentration on Natural Sciences, but she will complete a transfer to the College of Liberal Arts to complete a degree in Biology. She also helped Torres apply for a variety of additional scholarships to help fund her education. As a result, Torres benefits from a Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship as well, and is considered a strong candidate for the McNair Scholarship, for which she is applying.
“Annabel is a wife and a mother of three young children, and has had to juggle family responsibilities while taking courses – some of them in Chemistry and Biology, which can be very demanding – all the while keeping a 3.6 GPA,” Gonzalez Walker said. “I know that she will attain her goal of completing her Biology major with honors. I admire her determination.
“I was very honored,” said Torres of the P.E.O. grant, her most recent award. “What are the best words? Proud. Excited. And relieved.”
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