MEET PATTY, MSW
Clinician, Educator, Public Speaker, & Foster Youth Advocate.
Patty’s intersectional identities shape the way she sees social issues, bringing an analytical lens. She has spent over 10 years advocating for youth in foster care.
Her specific intersecting identities and experiences—being a former foster youth, an undocumented Salvadoran immigrant, queer, homeless, and incarcerated in the juvenile justice system—shape the way she sees social issues.
Patty Flores has served as a leadership keynote speaker for different entities in Los Angeles County and internationally. Patty has advocated and presented to judges, attorneys, probation officers (including the Chief of Probation), counselors, professors, social workers, and others.
LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in the system but underrepresented in research – this is why it is crucial to hold conversations regarding interventions and support for this population. LGBTQ speakers could serve as role models for young people, providing inspiration and hope. Having speakers with lived experience is meaningful because they offer firsthand insight. These educational services equip agencies and staff with the necessary tools to better support these communities.
MAKING AN IMPACT AS A
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Patty Flores brings a powerful voice, and any organization would benefit from her insight. Her knowledge is informed by her lived experience, academic research, and work. With over a decade of advocacy within the foster care, education, and juvenile system, she brings extensive experience, offering a unique analytical lens for addressing social issues as a keynote speaker.
EMPOWERING FOSTER YOUTH
Patty’s speeches are a combination of determination and strength while demonstrating her dedication to a trauma-informed approach and social justice, having been an LGBTQ speaker for years. Patty’s affiliation with diverse communities allows her to connect with diverse audiences.
She has a strong commitment to serving disadvantaged communities. Patty is an activist in the U.S. and in Central America; she collaborates with several ONGs in Latin America that focus on issues of violence towards women and the LGBTQ+ population. Defying Labels, founded and managed by Patty, has mobilized resources and fundraised for vulnerable women, children, and the trans community in El Salvador.
TESTIMONIALS
“Patty resonates authenticity as she tells her story. She uses her tumultuous and powerful journey as a tool for encouraging others to persist despite the barriers they face. Patty speaks with incredible poise and clarity as she connects with the audience. Her voice is needed in all spaces. ”
Megan Levitan
Director of Education at
United Friends of the Children
“Patty was a fabulous moderator for our panel. She was thoughtful and thorough as she helped the students navigate questions. She had patience as the students shared their powerful story and she contributed to the dialogue by sharing her own powerful journey. Patty is passionate, driven, and determined, and it was wonderful to work with her.”
Jennifer Kottke, Ed.D.
Homeless Education, Coordinator II
Division of Student Support Services
Los Angeles County of Education
“Liliana (Patty) has spoken at the Success is our Future event for foster youth who are part of the Los Angeles Probation Department. Her strong determination and desire to rise above her situation defined her presence as she spoke to an audience of 500. She is passionate and truly motivated by her ambition to achieve foster youth success and change the direction of people's lives.”
Monique Chanaiwa
Supervising Deputy Probation Officer of Youth Development Services
FROM MY BLOG
Read my article, Defying Labels: From Negative Credentials to Positive Credentials? It describes my life, obstacles, and achieving a higher education.
