Numbers come easily to Richard Torres ’09.  Now he’s using his gifts to figure out why people struggle with numbers under pressure. A tutor through the academic support office, Torres can see firsthand that many students suffer from performance anxiety during math exams.  The mathematics major hopes to get to the root of the problem this summer through an extensive study made possible by the Donald K. Rose University Fellowship.

“I was told that math anxiety is well understood by most, but that many avoid the topic simply because it is math research,” Torres explains.

Now entering his senior year in college, Torres proudly refers to his time at St. Lawrence as the “best years” of his life.  “I have made a lot of lifetime friends, learned much more about myself, and developed into a better person,” Torres says.  He’s president of the Math Club and treasurer for the Dance Ensemble.  Dancing, he says, is one of his passions in life.  Torres is also enrolled in the McNair and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) initiatives, both of which have given him the opportunity to travel and continue his research.  “Thanks to these programs, I can say that I’ve been to the San Diego Zoo and seen Niagara Falls,” he says.

The Brooklyn, NY, native and Grover Cleveland High School graduate plans to attend graduate school for a doctoral degree in mathematics.  He hopes to become a professor someday, “at a school very much like my alma mater,” Torres says.  “I can see that SLU has given me a competitive edge when joining the workforce, or in my case, applying to graduate schools.  I can’t be any more grateful for what my education here at St. Lawrence has done for me.”