Gerald Torres

When Gerald Torres arrived at FIU, his hope was to graduate as quickly as possible and not worry about any extracurricular activities. Although his passion was international relations, his parents encouraged him to major in civil engineering. Gerald worked for a time as a facilitator for Panther Camp, where one of his campers convinced him to at least try an introduction to international relations course. By the end of that course, he made the decision to leave engineering and pursue his true passion in international relations.  

At the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, Torres found a space to excel, joining the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, enrolling in the Intelligence Fellowship Program and participating in the Diplomacy Lab in Washington, D.C. Working at the intersection of technology and international relations, Gerald focused on disinformation and misinformation occurring in elections throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Eventually, he joined the FIU-MITRE strategic partnership, where he had the opportunity to brief policymakers at the U.S. State Department, US Southern Command, USAID and congressional staffers on issues of cybersecurity and national security.  

Gerald was selected as FIU’s first Gilman-McCain scholarship recipient, a distinction that led him to help other students with a passion for international travel to receive the scholarship. Gerald currently represents FIU in DC as a Hamilton Scholar and is interning at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. After graduation, Gerald plans to pursue a career in D.C., possibly with the State Department, the intelligence community or a think tank, as well as continue to graduate school for his master’s in international relations.  

By Amy Ellis  
Communications Manager 
Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs