Erling holding his two published books of poetry
My name is Erling Torrez and I am 32 years old. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship through the Asla Foundation in 2007 to study at the National Autonomous University. I studied in Esteli every Saturday and I received my diploma in Mathematics in 2012.
I am from a rural community outside of Condega called San Jose de Pire. To get to my classes I would ride a bus to Condega (about an hour) and then take another bus to Esteli (another hour). After graduation I worked for two years at a high school here in Condega, but then I was transferred to another high school called the Marista Institute in Condega. I have been there ever since teaching all levels of Mathematics to high school students.
I am the youngest of four (two sisters and two brothers) and the only one to go on and study at the university. My siblings all live in San Jose near my parents. I live in Condega in a small house that I fixed up. I often help students in my house if they need extra support.
I like to write poems and was lucky enough to have 2 poetry books published, one here and one in Peru. I had a friend in Managua who helped me get one book published here, and another friend connected me with someone from Peru.
I am very grateful for the support that I received from Asla, and I am so happy to see other students from rural areas receiving that same kind of support from Asla.
Erling’s books of poetry