Jazmín Gatto de Torres ’02

The Jeff Little ’71
2024 Volunteer of the Year Award
Citation for Jazmin Gatto de Torres ’02

The popular saying, “If you want something done, ask a busy person,” has been attributed to various people, from Benjamin Franklin to Lucille Ball. At Hamilton, we have a different saying: If you want something done, ask Jazmín.

As a student, as an alumna, as a parent, and as a parishioner, you Jazmín are all in, all the time. And the organizations with which you are associated are better, more effective, and more responsive to their communities’ needs because they can count on you as a volunteer.

Take Hamilton, for example.

Soon after arriving from nearby Cortland for your first year on College Hill, you helped write and perform in a production of Undesirable Elements by the internationally acclaimed performance artist Ping Chong. During your four years at Hamilton, you also volunteered to work as an aide for a student with physical disabilities, helped with various Campus Activities Board programs, chaired Trust Treat, and helped organize and run Senior Week activities. As a student leader, you were a member of the Newman Council, Doers and Thinkers (the name says it all), the Black and Latin Student Union, and La Vanguardia, for which you served as president. You also hosted prospective students as a member of the Multicultural Recruitment Committee for the Admission Office, and you continue to conduct off-campus admission interviews on behalf of the College today.

You left College Hill in 2002, but your heart and soul remain forever a part of the Hamilton community. Much of your volunteer work as an alumna revolves around encouraging greater engagement with diverse members of the Hamilton family. For instance, you’ve spent countless hours inspiring, organizing, and directing the Multicultural Alumni Relations Committee; you founded Enlace for diverse students and alumni to share identities and experiences that are personally and professionally beneficial; you host Hamilton events in Richmond, Virginia; you serve on the Days-Massolo Center Steering Committee; and you hold leadership positions with the Regional Affairs Committee of the Alumni Council. You’re also a regular participant and cheerleader for virtual events planned by and for alumni.

In those “quiet” moments when you’re not serving Hamilton, you’ve volunteered with your children’s schools, with Latin Ballet of Virginia where your children both danced, and with your church.

There are lots of names for super volunteers like Jazmín: Community Champion, Volunteer Extraordinaire, Selfless Humanitarian, Ambassador of Impact, Chief Impact Officer.

At Hamilton, we also have a special name for someone whose volunteerism exceeds all expectations; we call them the Jeff Little Volunteer of the Year. Please join me in congratulating this year’s recipient, Jazmín Gatto de Torres from the Class of 2002.

Presented by Laura Anne Engelhardt ’95
President of the Alumni Association
September 26, 2025

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