In the United States, African Americans comprise 13.4 percent of the population. However, the number of minority pilots in both the commercial industry and military hovers around 2 percent. An alarming statistic that the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation is dedicated to change. A face is behind every fact and a story is behind every statistic. As a son of a traveling nurse who had to move frequently, Torius sowed some wild oats in his youth, getting into fights, gambling at school, riding in police cars, and even visits with a juvenile probation officer. On his 12th birthday, his mother bought him a telescope, which magnified his fascination with outer space; a fascination that soon became the driving force in his life as he launched a path to pilot these incredible transports into space in search of the unknown.

     Torius is a small-town kid hailing from Attalla, AL where he graduated from Tuskegee University in May 2020 with bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace Science Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. In Fall 2016, Torius became the 1st Recipient of the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation, where they immediately offered mentorship and funding towards becoming a certified pilot and instructor. During his time in the foundation, he picked up the role as the programs chief pilot, which included many responsibilities: led over 40 scholars to become private pilots, instrument rated pilots, commercial single-engine and multi-engine land pilots, and certified flight instructors, and established fully functional and operational flight and ground training operations at Moton Field Municipal Airport. 

     The Red Tail Scholarship Foundation and Torius firmly believe in helping continue the tradition and upholding the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by creating more black pilots and transforming them into the New Tuskegee Airmen.

     Today, Torius is a chief pilot advisor and certified flight instructor for the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation and an Emergency Medical Technician in Downtown Montgomery as he awaits pilot training orders for the Air Force. In his free time, he is working on his paralegal certification with Auburn University in order to help fight social and racial injustices in America. To let off some steam, he is learning Jeet Kune Do (martial arts created by Bruce Lee/Li Jun Fan) under distinguished Sifu Lamar Davis. To stay creative, Torius likes to draw, make music, and write poetry. Torius is currently in USAF Pilot Training at Columbus AFB.