A Warm Welcome: New Professors’ Stories Bring Diversity to Marist’s Academics
Dr. Melchiorre. Courtesy of Dr. Luke Melchiorre
With the arrival of a new semester, as we welcome the new class of 2029, abroad and transfer students, Marist University has also gained new faculty members.
Political science and criminal justice students may encounter these professors in their time at Marist if they have not already. However, the beauty of Marist’s Liberal Arts system allows students to explore and connect their interests and fields of study.
Dr. Torres. Courtesy of Dr. Jeremiah Perez-Torres
Dr. Jeremiah Perez-Torres, Assistant Professor of Crime and Justice Studies
With his diverse experiences and impressive academic achievements, Perez-Torres brings a lot to Marist’s Department of Crime and Justice Studies. After finishing his PhD, he began his ninth year of teaching at the university level.
Outside of academics, Perez-Torres has enjoyed traveling to various countries, The Bahamas, Rome, Italy, and Catalonia, Spain being some of his recent favorites, and is passionate about language learning. Growing up on the island of Puerto Rico and meeting people from various cultures, Dr. Torres has a deep passion for language learning. Being able to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and how they make meaning of their world through language is something he values.
A particular course on terrorism in his undergraduate studies “piqued [his] interest” and motivated him to continue to focus on the topics. Specifically, he has done extensive work in understanding extremist propaganda and how it radicalizes populations.
Growing up an athlete in two major sports, football and handball, Perez-Torres enjoys hiking and participating in handball competitions in his free time.
In recent years, he participated in the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Fellowship Programme in Peacemaking and Preventive Diplomacy, where he performed collaborative research and received various certifications.
In the projects he contributed to, he brought his perspective and research on extremism and terrorism to the table, where he discussed the impact of extremism and terrorism with his team. Together they worked to analyze their respective fields of expertise - in Perez-Torres' case, extremism and terrorism - that might impede/affect the achievement of various UN Sustainable Development Goals. He went on to present this work at the Science Summit of the UN General Assembly 77.
His greatest wish for his students is that they try as many things as they can.
“I don’t want anyone to silo themselves out of opportunities and experiences,” he said. His greatest desire for his students is that they “stay curious” and do not isolate themselves into thinking that they can only do specific careers, but rather expand their idea of how various career options can have a positive impact on society.
Overall, Perez-Torres is “excited to be at Marist, as cliché as it may sound,” and looks forward to expanding his students’ experiences and expanding the offerings and learning resources that Marist’s Crime and Justice Studies Department has.
Dr. Luke Melchiorre, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Melchiorre brings his diverse perspective and robust experience to the Marist community. In his classes, he is passionate and committed to pushing the boundaries of his students’ perspectives and considerations.
In his own time, he enjoys spending time with his son and venturing into his passions - music, literature and basketball. When describing his own passions, he wanted to remind students that “passion is fuel and the map” that should guide the choices students make in terms of career decisions.
In the years before he began teaching, Melchiorre spent ten years in a touring band, The Coast, as a songwriter and bass player.
“I love conversations with people. I try to be somebody that can have a conversation with anybody,” said Melchiorre.
Before beginning his time at Marist, he taught as an associate professor at the Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia for seven years.
“I’m excited to expand the range of the Liberal Arts department and interact with students from a variety of disciplines,” he said.
A vivid memory of watching Nelson Mandela being released from prison at a young age “left a big impression” on him and sparked his interest in visiting South Africa and studying African politics. He went on to study and live in various African countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. For him, these experiences have been most valuable because they allowed him to relearn a history he knew from a new perspective.
He hopes for his students to consider themselves as “political actors and people with impactful and meaningful ideas.”
Melchiorre not only aims to inspire growth in his students through enthusiastic lectures, but he also hopes to create a sense of community among his students.
“That’s what’s so beautiful about this job,” Melchiorre said. “It's built on human connection.”