Edwin Torres ’16
After playing a key role in the campaign to re-elect U.S. Senator Tina Smith last November, Edwin Torres decided to take a little time off to decide what came next.
With an impressive resume that also includes serving as the National Latino Outreach Director for the presidential campaign of Amy Klobuchar, Smith’s fellow senator from Minnesota, Torres had no shortage of potentially lucrative options.
But when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s office approached him about helping to lead the state’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Torres couldn’t refuse.
So, since January, the Saint John’s University graduate has been working 10 to 12 hours a day – often seven days a week – as the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Director, helping connect Minnesotans with the shots that will soon hopefully help bring the ongoing global pandemic to an end.
“This is by far the grandest thing I’ve been able to do when it comes to the size and scope of people impacted,” Torres said. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done. We have a lot of work left to do, of course. But we’ve gotten a lot accomplished. Minnesota has been among the top states in the nation when it comes to vaccine distribution.”
Senator Tina Smith and Edwin Torres ‘16
Torres’ duties include reaching out to BIPOC, non-English speaking and undocumented communities, some of which have been hit hard by the spread of the virus and don’t always have access to needed medical care.
That’s a struggle Torres can understand. When he was a small child, his parents were forced to leave he and his brother behind in El Salvador when they came to the U.S. in search of a better life for their family.
He was reunited with his parents in California when he was six, but the road was far from easy. By the time he graduated high school, his family had moved 12 times and he had attended 10 different schools. On two occasions, they found themselves homeless, and obtaining medical care was often difficult.
“I’m someone who never had health insurance,” said Torres, who continues to receive two-year extensions to live and work in the U.S. as a member of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) community.
“From when I got to this country at the age of 6 until when I enrolled in college at age 18, I never went to a dentist. We never had medical care. Being undocumented and living in the shadows, that’s something that just wasn’t there. So to now be able to assure that our most vulnerable communities get the vaccine, which is lifesaving, is just an incredible privilege. To be able to help out families that look like mine is so humbling.
“I can’t imagine a better way to spend my time.”
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has worked closely with Torres on vaccination outreach, including to employees in the state’s food processing sector. She said the level of understanding he brings to the table has helped him form genuine connections with those he is trying to reach.
“Part of outreach is sometimes having the hard conversations,” Flanagan said. “But he answers all the tough questions and forms real bonds.
“He’s smart, compassionate and empathetic. He really cares about people and community and that comes through.”
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“To be able to help out families that look like mine is so humbling.”