Jason Torres '10

I have to believe that it is every person’s desire to find their own voice. Some are fortunate to find it early while others find it later on in their life.

Then, there’s a group of individuals who have a voice, but it is not theirs, and deep down inside of them they know it. I was part of that group. The voice I had belonged to other people who essentially spoke on my behalf because I didn’t have the confidence or courage to speak up for the things I believed in. I was living a life where all the voices on the outside- voices of negativity, voices of doubt, voices of mediocrity- were louder than the most important voice I could listen to....

the voice on the inside. 

It wasn’t until the College of Charleston came into my life that I began the long journey to begin silencing the voices on the outside so that I could find my own; but I could not do it alone. It took a special place like the College of Charleston and special people like the faculty and staff to push me harder than I’ve ever been pushed to find my voice. 

Like many people trying to find their way, the journey to self-discovery comes with sacrifice along with a lot of twists and turns, and my journey was no different. In fact, it had so many twists and turns right from the start that I just about gave up on the journey before I really got started. I almost decided that it would be best to keep quiet and simply tip-toe quietly through the rest of my life. 

But, one conversation with a very special academic advisor changed the game for me and began a series of events that would eventually lead me to where I am today- sharing my voice with the masses. 

So, where did I find my voice on the beautiful College of Charleston campus? Well, I actually found it through the voices of very special people on campus who spoke life into me. 

You can find these special individuals in places like: 

  • New Student Programs (Become an Orientation Intern!)
  • Residence Life & Housing (Become a Resident Assistant!)
  • Club Sports (Start a new team!)
  • Student Leadership Center (Start your leadership journey!)
  • School of the Arts (Find your creative spirit!) 
  • Career Center (Find the career that moves you!)

Now, that is only a start, but it will certainly get you going on your journey to finding your own voice, and when you do find it (and I know you will), be sure that it is louder than all the voices on the outside because the world needs to hear from you!

Jason Torres
Class of 2010

Want to share your story about how you found your voice at CofC?  Email your story to thecollegereads@cofc.edu.  Please include your name and graduation year.