A lifelong Irving resident and graduate of Irving High School, Universal Technical Institute instructor Jesse Torres has always had a passion for cars. His parents both raced when he was a kid, and he spent a lot of time at the track and in the garage fixing up cars. After he graduated from high school, Jesse and his brother worked at an auto repair shop in Irving before heading to Houston to further their education at Universal Technical Institute. 
 Soon after graduating in 2004, they returned to Irving and opened up their own auto repair shop, fulfilling a lifelong dream. After a few years, the brothers closed down the shop to pursue new dreams. For Jesse, it was teaching. He joined Universal Technical Institute’s campus in Irving when it first opened in 2010. 
“I’ve really found my niche,” said Torres. “I love coming to work every day and helping students learn how to diagnose what’s wrong with a vehicle. It’s so rewarding to see when that light bulb goes off in their head and they actually understand the problem and how to fix it.”  
He says the role of a technician has really changed over the last 10 years and he enjoys teaching future auto and diesel technicians the complex theory involved in diagnosing car issues. With over seventy percent of repair jobs today involving a vehicle’s electrical system most of what technicians do today is diagnostic. 
Jesse isn’t only a great instructor, but he cares about his community too. Recently, the Universal Technical Institute campus held a food drive for the North Texas Food Bank where they collected over 2,200 pounds of food. Jesse told his students that he would personally match the amount of canned food they brought in. He was also recently honored with the Hero of the Month award from the school, an award where individuals need to be nominated by their peers and chosen by the leadership team at the campus. 
In his spare time, Jesse likes racing cars, tuning cars to improve their performance and helping family and friends diagnose and fix problems with their own cars. A self-described NASCAR nut, Jesse is a season ticket holder at Texas Motor Speedway where he cheers on his favorite driver, Kyle Bush with the M&M team. 

Source: Universal Technical Institute

Source: CFB-ISD

Approximately 140 students at Bowie Middle School gathered to hear author and former NFL player Tim Green speak on the importance of reading, getting an education and being kind to fellow school mates. Tim’s newest book, “Unstoppable” tackles adversity on and off the field highlighting tough issues such as cancer survival, foster care, and just “tough luck”.

Tim has written several books on sports fiction for teens based on his experience as a coach and athlete. Students who were in attendance will be reading Unstoppable as a book discussion group.

Source: Irving ISD

Irving Heritage Society past president Eleanor Corry Bell arranges a collection of Walter Harvey carvings which will be displayed at the West Library through the month of January. Harvey was a self-taught whittler. Cowboys were always a favorite subject and some of his figures are described as “caricature woodcarvings.”

The pieces are owned by the Irving Heritage Society, Don Hamill, and the family of Walter Harvey.