Candy Torres

I am an explorer and storyteller. Throughout history, there were many explorers who share my surname including on Columbus voyages. Through genealogical research, I have traced my families back for several generations in Puerto Rico. My parents were born on the Enchanted Island and grew up in Harlem during the Great Depression. By coincidence, they both lost their fathers when they were young. Their mothers had to figure out how to keep their families together during those rough economic times. I grew up on the stories of my parents struggles.

My parents worked hard to give their children a better life. Education was important. They moved from inner city to housing project into a house in South River, New Jersey. It was a small town with open spaces I loved to explore. It also had excellent public school teachers who provided me with a solid foundation for my future in science, sports, history, literature, and geography. I wanted to be an astronaut so I joined Civil Air Patrol as a teenager. I learned how to fly an airplane -- Piper Cub -- before I learned to drive a car.

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