By Alexandra Mendoza
As a child, Ignacio De la Torre always wanted to know how the things around him worked. He used to open up watches, toy cars, and basically anything electrical just to watch how the gears turned or how the watch hands moved.
That marked the beginning of what would become his career, where he has been able to combine his love and knowledge of technology with that of helping different social causes so that, like him, other Hispanic youngsters can achieve their dreams.
27 years ago, Ignacio De la Torre, who obtained his Electrical Engineering Degree at UCLA, got his first job at AT&T (originally Pacific Bell), which he has called home ever since.
Little by little, he began to step up through different areas of the company, starting from the bottom as a summer intern, then to sales, operations, and systems management.
He eventually arrived to the Government Affairs area, where he has worked for the past 17 years, first in Los Angeles and now in San Diego, where he serves as Regional Vice President of External Affairs.
His position has allowed him to pursue positive changes in the community by collaborating with non-profits that want to make a difference.
“It is important for the Company for employees to not just sell services, but also support individuals and groups that are doing something to improve the community”, voiced Mr. De la Torre, who now lives in Chula Vista.
AT&T Aspire is the company’s $350 million signature initiative focused on helping students nationwide graduate high school ready for college and career. Although the initiative is open to students regardless of what their professional aspirations are, the company is focused on helping those who want to delve into science and technology-related fields.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics study estimates that, by 2020, there will be close to 9.2 million jobs will be available in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.
In light of this, the program is intended to empower low-income students with the tools they need to pursue these careers that are considered “the economy of the future” and where minority groups such as Hispanics are underrepresented.
In 2011, only 7% of science-related positions in the U.S. were held by Latinos, according to U.S. Population Census data.
“In order to improve the business climate in the U.S., we need to have more students pursuing these careers”, De la Torre expressed.
Locally, AT&T has helped young men and women through organizations such as Reality Changers, Interfaith Community Services, and Barrio Logan College Institute, to name just a few.
“We want for young people to not only finish high school, but to also have the opportunity to do something with their life, whether they want to go to community college or to a university, and we also know that we needs to promote these careers”, he added.
Another program that Ignacio De la Torre has been involved with locally has been his company’s Aspire Mentoring Academy. As a mentor, he has invited young people to visit the company’s facilities and learn about the jobs they do.
Since the initiative started, it is estimated that AT&T employees have provided more than 1 million hours of mentoring to students throughout the United States.
Ignacio De la Torre’s community work extend beyond AT&T’s walls. He has been involved for several years with organizations such as Downtown San Diego Partnership, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, United Way of San Diego County, Urban League of San Diego County, and earlier with the Chicano Federation.