Meet One of Our Knight Authors: Rachel Torres ’14 ’15MSW

The Book Nook at UCF Knight Market this year will showcase 12 alumni authors. Leading up to the event, we will be spotlighting our Book Nook authors!

Meet Rachel Torres ’14 ’15MSW!

Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Rachel. I originally moved to Orlando to attend UCF and never left. I’m passionate about learning new things and spend my free time crafting and baking.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I found an interest in writing back in high school. I took a creative writing course and joined the school newspaper, eventually becoming editor-in-chief. One of my favorite components of putting out the paper was completing the page layouts and design. My first book incorporated these interests by giving me the opportunity to write and design.

What’s your writing process? What inspires your writing?

For this book I focused on finding the right topic. My background is in social work, and I noticed there isn’t much representation of the field in children’s books. I have young nephews and I wanted to create something that would help explain what I do in a simple but meaningful way. Representation is important and this was my way to showcase our core values.

What was a class or club at UCF that helped you grow as a writer?

I would have to give a shout out to the entire social work program at UCF. The School of Social Work provided me with the foundation I needed for my career and ultimately the inspiration for the book I’ll be there to present.

What else?! What are you currently working on right now?

I’m currently working on spreading the word about ABCs of Social Work as this is the first book I’ve ever published. I do have a couple of ideas for my next project, but still in the brainstorming stage so stay tuned!

My Books:

ABCs of Social Work, available on Amazon