The third annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event serves to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region. 

At this year's event, taking place Friday, Aug. 26, Melva Torres will be one of the 40 honorees. 

Biography

Melva Torres, is an Associate Director in Precision Medicine Marketing US Oncology for Merck. Her work contributes to the exciting innovative advances that can help patients with cancer.

Torres is known for her advocacy and work in the DE&I space both inside and outside of the company. She leads the Alianza EBRG at the UG site and is also part of the Board of Directors at The Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA).

She is a 2018 graduate of Drexel University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Technology Innovation Management, Marketing and Legal studies with a minor in entrepreneurship.

Torres is also in the process of advancing her career and one day becoming a lawyer to help individuals in diverse communities by opening her own charitable firm.

She lives by the motto: "Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person."

As part of the lead-up to the AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, AL DÍA asked each of the honorees a set of identical questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Melva Torres' responses: 

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your professional career? 

The biggest challenge was staying true to myself and not having to cover to fit in. As a Latina woman and someone who wasn’t raised here, it was hard to try to navigate through corporate America and try to fit in, but early in my career I really thought about how I wanted to approach that feeling. My conclusion was that as long as I was always true to myself, voiced my opinions, expressed myself, and didn’t try to cover, I will be able to succeed professionally, mentally, and emotionally, which I have!

What are steps that can be taken to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in your industry? Why is it important to do so?

My company has been doing a phenomenal job in Diversity, equity, and inclusion. My managers have been super supportive of any involvement I want to have internally or externally when it comes to DE&I. The company also provides a lot of tools for us to learn and execute on this. This has been important because when I go to work, I know everyone around me cares that we feel included and that our opinions and diversity of thoughts are heard.

What does being a leader mean to you? 

I believe that leadership doesn’t have a one size fits all solution. There is no formula that will instantly make you the best leader; I think through time, mentorship, dedication, failure, and more, you eventually find the leader you want to be, a leader that guides, achieves goals, and inspires others to follow you and do the same. I think some characteristics that make a great leader are: resilience, flexibility, good communication, courage, responsibility, humility, and presence.

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

In 5 years, I see myself growing more in my company and continuing my education, hopefully getting a law degree. I also want to continue to get involved in the community and continue to lead change.

The 2022 AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will take place Friday, Aug. 26 at The Vie at Cescaphe. To learn more or purchase your ticket, click here.