Even as a young student at Southeast Elementary, Adrianna Torres had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. 

Whether it was participating in a spelling bee, singing a song in music class while communicating the lyrics in sign language, or racing through an egg-xtraordinarily difficult obstacle while carrying an egg, Adrianna continually expected herself to do more and be better. 

“I was one of the more shy and quiet kids at school,” she said. “Even though I was shy, my teachers at Southeast always pushed me to do more because they knew I could. I always felt their support.”

Adrianna’s quest to learn more and hone her skills didn’t stop after elementary school. In high school, she earned an invitation to a summer program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg called the Summer Academy for Math and Science. The program introduced her to the fascinating and expansive world of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). There were many exciting career options for people with advanced training in these areas. That fascination set her on a path to attend the prestigious Colorado School of Mines, a college focused on science and engineering. 

While in college, Adrianna realized the importance of sharing the opportunities available through STEM courses, particularly in engineering. 

“My experience with the Summer Academy in high school changed my life. It opened up a whole new world to me that I didn’t know existed,” she said. “So I made it my mission to pay it forward and give other young women that same kind of experience.”

Torres joined the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Society for Women Engineers. Through these organizations, she reached out to minority and female students to introduce them to the wonders of STEM studies and how those could lead to impressive career opportunities.

In 2012, she graduated from college with a metallurgical engineering degree. In this field, Torres studies the physical and chemical behaviors of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures. 

After graduation, she worked for a gold mine in Nevada. As interesting as the work was for Torres, she felt the need to push further and embrace her leadership skills more fully. She had proven herself a capable manager who filled in for her boss when he was out. People respected her knowledge and problem solving skills. She knew she could take that experience to a higher level.

She turned to a copper smelter in Arizona and became one of its laboratory supervisors.

“I worked really hard to earn my first leadership role. I felt proud of myself and I knew I was living up to the expectations of those that supported me in my earlier years. They would tell me that it was great to see a Latina like myself in these types of roles.” 

That leadership role led to more opportunities. With those experiences under her belt, she went back home to Colorado where she was recruited and hired by a mine in Leadville. Never letting her professional growth become stagnant, after six years she opted for a change of industries. She set her sights on putting her leadership skills to work for a parts manufacturing company called Precision Castparts Corporation. She became an area manager for aerospace manufacturing where she manages a team of about 50 people.

Throughout her career, Adrianna worked in a field made up of men who typically worked as technicians and management. Women were typically found in supportive roles doing clerical or accounting jobs in the same facilities as the men. Even after earning a leadership position, many of her counterparts assumed she worked as a support staff member when in fact, she was the boss. 

“I remember being in a meeting one time and looking around the room for the first time, only to realize that I was the only female in a room of about 20 men. 

“I also remember getting asked numerous times by coworkers whether I was going to continue working after I had my first child. I would be so surprised when they asked me that because I never made any indication if I wanted to stop my career and stay home with my children.”

Adrianna was not deterred from continuing her leadership path. She consistently earned the respect of her employees, peers and management team with her hallmark for getting quality results from her projects. She’s earned her stripes and is finally treated with respect for her accomplishments. But still, there are times when she feels pressure to prove herself worthy of her position in an industry not typically populated by women.

Adrianna’s grit to be the consummate leader as a female in the STEM industry has earned her the admiration of men and women around her. She credits how Southeast Elementary School helped develop her leadership qualities and encouraged her throughout her school years to set her goals high. Those Southeast mentors have continued to cheer her on even after she graduated from 27J Schools.

“I believe in 27J Schools because they support their current students and graduates.”