Dr. John Perez made history this month by being the first full time professor in the International College (IC) Sustainability Sciences and Engineering (SSE) program. Although the professor recently obtained his PhD from the Institute of Biotechnology at National Chung Hsing University right here in Taichung, he did not always plan to be a professor. In fact, he began his career as Dr. Perez, practicing medicine in his home country of Columbia. According to Dr. Perez, he quickly realized that while he was fascinated by biology, medicine was not his calling. After a little soul searching, the doctor went back to school to pursue a career in research. This path eventually led him to Taiwan, where he has since studied for almost a decade. Despite having received offers from other institutions, Dr. John decided to join the SSE program. When asked for a comment on his reasons, he said “I want to build something here!” Initial student reactions are positive, and demand for his Hispanic Culture class is overwhelming with over ninety students. The IC and Tunghai look forward to working with Dr. John to build a better future for people here in Taiwan and worldwide.