Staff Spotlight: Lourdes "Lori" Flores-Anderson Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

This week, Vallejo City Unified School District's Hispanic Heritage Month spotlight series features Lourdes "Lori" Flores-Anderson, SIS and technology training specialist. Lourdes said her favorite parts of the job are working with data and seeing the "aha" moment on users' faces when she trains them.

Lourdes' family is from Puerto Rico, and what she loves most about her heritage is the blend of Taíno, Spanish, and West African traditions. For her, the phrase "Unidos, somos más" means that together, people are more of everything. "Stronger, more compassionate," she said.

At home, Lourdes speaks both Spanish and English. When asked what destination in Puerto Rico she wishes everyone could experience, she pointed to the island's beautiful beaches.

Growing up, Lourdes looked up to her parents, who moved to the United States with little to their names and raised their children with love to be proud, hard-working, and caring people. Her parents and other family members also valued reading and pursuing more education, she said, and that pursuit was always encouraged and celebrated.

Her advice for VCUSD students this year is to remember how important education is. It provides choices, she said, and those choices help build a better future.

One tradition Lourdes is proud to carry forward is dancing, which she said brings people together with joy and laughter. She also said she wants more people to understand that Puerto Ricans are a resilient community who, like any other group, value family, help one another in times of struggle, and both suffer and celebrate. "We are all the same," she said, and people should treat one another with compassion, no matter their culture.

Being bilingual has also shaped her path in education. Knowing more than one language, Lourdes said, helps her see others in a better light and gives her a broader outlook.