Inspired by a professor, Dr. Fred Keller, Donna D. Torres pursued a career as a medical technologist, working with Omega Laboratories West Diagnostics between 1992 and 1994. From there, she joined Renny Hospital as a medical technologist, where she remained for almost 25 years between 1994 and 2020 before being laid off due to COVID-19. Since 2016, she has channeled her drive into building her brand with Mary Kay Cosmetics, through which she serves as a beauty consultant.
In terms of career highlights, Ms. Torres recalls one patient who had a rare case of leukemia and she had the jurisdiction to get her treated immediately. A month or so later, her pathologist thanked her for saving her life. Hearing that was incredibly impactful. Ms. Torres has been happy to develop not only working relationships, but also personal relationships with her colleagues. She has never been someone to burn bridges.
What has inspired and motivated Ms. Torres along her career was her parents. She grew up knowing nothing other than her two parents working, which was not very common at the time since most women stayed home to care for their children. This showed her that women could go out and work in the world. Her former music teachers also inspired her, since music was her first love. In fact, some highlights of her career include singing backup for Kenny Rogers and having the opportunity to meet Taylor Swift. Another memorable moment of Ms. Torres’ career was when she taught at Reading Area Community College. Having the knowledge and presenting it to them in a fashion where they understood it was rewarding to her.
Ms. Torres was very good at laboratory work when she was in high school. At the time, there were not many opportunities available in that area unless they were going to medical school. Thanks to a professor, Dr. Fred Keller, he steered her in the right direction, leading her to her career path as a medical technologist. An expert in her field, Ms. Torres earned a Bachelor of Arts from Albright College in 1992 and subsequently became a certified medical technologist through St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Medical Technology. During her spare time, she retains alignment with the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society, Phi Delta Sigma Fraternity and the Reading Quarrel Society.
Ms. Torres attributes her success to her ability to learn new information with an open and honest perspective. She never thinks that you cannot learn something. The past few years, she has been thinking about pursuing a master’s degree. Thus, she recently accepted a part-time position in a small private practice, the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, serving as their only lab scientist and is pursuing a master’s degree in health administration online. She would love to use that degree to secure a managerial position in health care moving forward. In her spare time, Ms. Torres enjoys singing in two different choral groups. She is the proud mother of one daughter and grandmother of two grandchildren.
