HOW TO LIVE PROJECT
On July 2nd, 2025, my younger brother, John Torres decided to exit life on his own terms. He was 20 years old.
In the letter that he left behind to me, he wrote, “I know you will be successful one day. Continue to work hard.”
I have decided that the only real way to live a successful life is to follow your dreams. And that’s exactly what I am going to do.
Even before John’s passing, my biggest dream was to write books, make videos, and speak all around the world. About what exactly? For the longest time, I was unsure.
But now I know.
I know that I must commit myself to helping all the other John’s out there — all the people who are desperate for guidance and for direction.
There are many things I wish I could have shown John, many things I wish I could have said, many lessons that I wish I had learned so that I could pass them on to him.
I can’t give John anything anymore. But I certainly can give something more to the world.
The choice before me is to either give in to the pain and suffering and join John wherever he may be —
Or to give back.
This project is my attempt to give back.
I am going to write this book, along with others, and I am going to document all the steps on social media.
My hope is that I can be an example for others that in times of deep suffering, when you feel the urge to give in, you can choose to give back.
My name is Dylan Torres. I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and I am currently in a gap year before beginning my studies at Columbia Law School in the fall of 2026.
During my gap year, while I am not working on the How to Live Project, in coordination with my middle school teacher, Johnny Galan, I am creating and working on the Falcons Law Mentorship Project, a program focused on building future advocates through mentorship and mock trials for students in the Lively Middle School law magnet program. I will also be volunteering as a 7th-grade football coach.
I have always had a passion for reading and writing.
In college, I participated in the University of Texas System Archer Fellowship, a program that brings students from across the UT system together for a semester in Washington, D.C. While in D.C., I worked as an intern for the Center for Presidential Transition, focusing on federal vacancies. This work led me to co-author *Persistently Vacant*, a report highlighting key vacancies within federal leadership.
During my undergraduate years, I was honored to receive multiple academic and leadership awards.
including recognition as a Presidential Honors Scholar and the recipient of the Dr. Wayne Duke Student Leader Award—UTA’s highest leadership honor. I also received the Wayne Watts Scholarship for Aspiring Attorneys, the Department of Political Science Dr. Jhang Moon Scholar Award, the African-American Bar Association of Texas Pathway to Law Scholarship, the Newvy Scruggs Endowment for Student Enrichment Opportunities, the College of Liberal Arts Endowed Honors Scholar Award, and the Department of Political Science Irwing Dawson Scholar Award.
Outside of academics and service work, my interests include:
Running, making music, playing frisbee golf, weightlifting, watching Texas Football, and listening to Nate Good.
Get in touch.
Have a perspective that you believe would add value to this project? Let’s get in touch.