Photo courtesy of Brophy Facebook – Luis Torres ’16 was awarded the Sullivan Leadership Award from Seattle University.

By Andrew Howard ’17
THE ROUNDUP

Luis Torres ’16 is more than just a leader on Student Council.

Torres also started the Hip-Hop Club, ran varsity cross country and track, attended the El Salvador and KBI immersion trips, and has received a full ride scholarship to Seattle University. But if you talk to him, he would never tell you about all the things he has done.

“He’s like Marshawn Lynch,” said Mr. Pete Burr ’07. “[Torres is] not flashy … but when you turn the lights on and you need to hand the ball to someone it’s for sure going to be him.”

Mr. Burr said he is Student Council’s go-to guy.

“I think people see him as the Student Council guy who is at everything and is really sincere … but not as the guy who’s there four hours before and four hours after,” Mr. Burr said.

In a 14-minute interview with The Roundup, Torres never took credit for the amount of hours he spends working on Student Council events, he even said he didn’t want this award.

“He’s not about any accolades or confirmation about what he is doing, everything he does comes from sincerity,” Mr. Burr said. “It’s never been about the thing he’s doing. It’s about the reason he is doing it, which is to help.”

Torres has had many successes at Brophy, but his injury in track during his sophomore year may have been his most formative experience.

“Getting injured in track was my St. Ignatius moment, I was so focused on running … it really tore me apart,” he said.

Though his injury was devastating, he said getting injured brought him back to reality, and allowed him to try new things. Torres also discovered his love for writing after his injury, something he is going to pursue in college.

Next year Torres will attend Seattle University with the Sullivan Scholarship, an award given to few students on the west coast that covers full tuition as well as room and board.

This year’s theme for the scholarship, which is always focused around social justice, was incarceration, a theme Torres felt close to.

“Being a man of color I felt like I knew the stuff pretty well from living it and seeing it,” he said.

Mr. Burr has one reason he thinks Torres deserves Man of the Year.

“If there was one reason LT should get Man of the Year it’s because he really truly doesn’t want it.”