Suggested Searches

1 min read

Instrument Systems Engineer and Scoutmaster Víctor M. Torres

Instrument Systems Engineer Víctor M. Torres
"These kids [in my Scout troop] learn how to cook outside. They know how to start a fire. And if there are people injured, they can put their first aid skills into practice. So what I tell them is: it’s not only the skills — it’s how the skills prepare you to be able to rely on yourself, regardless of the situation.” — Víctor M. Torres

“I always get the same question from the kids [in my Scout troop]: How is this going to serve me later on? Why do I need to learn how to build a fire if there’s always going to be a kitchen?

“These skills are important because you never know what will happen —for example, look at what just happened across the United States with Hurricane Ida. Many people were without electricity.

“So for me, scouting teaches you how to rely on yourself and how to make the best out of what you have been given.

“These kids [in my Scout troop] learn how to cook outside. They know how to start a fire. And if there are people injured, they can put their first aid skills into practice.

“So what I tell them is: it’s not only the skills — it’s how the skills prepare you to be able to rely on yourself, regardless of the situation.”

— Víctor M. Torres, Scoutmaster and Instrument Systems Engineer, Goddard Space Flight Center

Image Credit: NASA / Taylor Mickal
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos

Check out some of our other Faces of NASA.