The Latina/o Studies Program, Latina/o Student Success Office, and the Latino Living Center congratulate Irving Torres-Lopez '18, the 2017 recipient of the Marti Dense Leadership Award. This annual award recognizes an exceptional student leader, whose winning essay is presented at the annual Unity Dinner in October. Irving is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in Theater and Latina/o Studies. An actor and playwright, he has performed in over two dozen performances on Cornell and Ithaca community stages since his arrival on Cornell's campus in the fall of 2014.
Irving is the current lead theatrical director of the Ordinary People social justice theater troupe and the skits producer for Sabor Latino Dance Ensemble. Irving is dedicated to the uplifting and representation of Latinx narratives on the stage. He plans to further his pursuit of acting and writing training to propel the communities he holds dear into the spotlight. His upcoming full length, 80-minute play starring himself, entitled Current | Corriente, will debut in March of 2018 at the Black Box Theater, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, he hopes to stage his forthcoming ensemble driven play El Hogar, based on the experiences of residents of the Latino Living Center.
