Josh Imhof | staff writer

On Jan. 4, 2022, Iván Andres Del Toro Hernández, two first names and two last, hopped off his third connecting flight from Puerto Rico to Pittsburgh International Airport.

After spending a year and a half at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, he was ready to embark on a new chapter of his life in Pittsburgh.

What he didn’t know was what it would look like. He didn’t know what to expect.

“I had taken many virtual tours of campus because I never visited until coming here. And then I was like ‘You know what? I don’t want to see what the city looks like [online]. I want to see that for myself,’” he said.

Del Toro crossed through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and was finally able to see the city for the first time, something he remembers fondly.

“You’re kidding,” he said. “I’m gonna live here for the next six years? This is insane.”

Del Toro comes from the Puerto Rican town of Hormigueros, where he had lived since he was three months old. He was raised by his mother, Dinorah Hernández Vásquez, a hospital CEO, and his father, Angel Iván Del Toro Matos.

Both his parents ensured Del Toro knew how important getting a good education was.

“Public schools in Puerto Rico are very much you go if you want to go and don’t go if you don’t want to go. You won’t get in trouble,” he said.

Because of this, he was enrolled in private school.

At school, he excelled in all of his classes and developed a keen interest in the sciences, just not all of them.

“I really, really liked science, but I hated biology and chemistry,” he said.

Del Toro instead gravitated toward the human sciences: anatomy, physiology and his favorite, psychology. His interest in these subjects demonstrates one of his most prominent qualities, empathy, something he learned from his father.

“He was always the one who taught me acceptance, not leaving people alone, not making anyone feel separate,” he said. “If someone’s alone and wants to be your friend, it’s worth a try because you might change someone’s life.”

His friend, Erin Semerod, said Del Toro has embraced that motto.

“During classes, I didn’t really have many close friends, but he’s helped me be more outgoing,” she said. “Now I can chat with people.”

Del Toro’s father’s lessons are a product of his own time in college, where he experienced racism and discrimination due to his accent.

He enrolled Del Toro in accent training school at the age of 10. Del Toro spent two years there, which is something he enjoyed.

“The teacher kind of stares at you straight ahead and then just says ‘Mimic my mouth movements.’ She’ll put a stick in your mouth, move your tongue around for you and then boom you got it,” he said. “It was actually really fun.”

Del Toro is now able to speak fluently in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian. He also knows Puerto Rican Sign Language and is currently learning Mandarin Chinese.

At Duquesne, Del Toro is the president of The Painter’s Society, the transfer chair for Orientation, secretary of the board of SACNAS and a member of the Puerto Rican Student Association. He is also the president of Gamma Phi fraternity, something he helped rebuild from the ground up.

“The idea of a social fraternity is intimidating because of the culture around hazing these days, but I think with knowing Iván and seeing that he’s not only in it, but in charge of it, it’s given me full faith,” said his friend, Jet Jacobsen. “The whole reason I’m in there is because I trust him and he hasn’t let me down.”

Del Toro said that it was his mom who inspired him to explore so many leadership positions.

“She is the reason why. She is the boss of everyone. No one is above her,” he said.

She recently flew in from Puerto Rico to attend a ceremony honoring Del Toro with the Roberto Clemente Scholarship, an award given to those who carry out Clemente’s spirit through philanthropy, academic excellence and leadership.

Despite his many successes, Del Toro has also experienced hardships of his own.

In fifth grade, he came out as gay. Although he feels that it was one of the best decisions of his life, it still came with some repercussions.

“In 10th grade, I wasn’t allowed to go to the bathrooms, and I would get dehydrated at least once a semester. That’s a really bad thing,” he said.

It was one of his Spanish teachers, Gretchen Mercado, who made the difference.

“She was my biggest supporter in everything. When I was alone, I would go to her classroom and we would talk. She made me feel so important about life, and then she became my mentor,” Del Toro said.

Del Toro is now happily engaged to his long time partner, Isaac Custodio, and the two plan to live in Puerto Rico together after they both graduate.

Del Toro is a man of many hats. Whether he is going to a Chinese restaurant to practice Mandarin, or running a fraternity, he always has a new goal to strive for.

“I’ve wanted to do more than what I was a part of. I am an occupational therapy student, but 24/7 I don’t just have to be an occupational therapy student,” he said. “I feel like you shouldn’t just be one thing.”