President John Cress (center) welcomed Sandy Flores (right) into membership at our April 4, noon meeting. Sandy was sponsored by Bill Erickson (left), who introduced her to our club by saying:

“Today, it is my pleasure to introduce Sandy Flores. With a little help from an article from the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, I would like to tell you a bit about her. Her story is a common story with the many students I work with at Walla Walla High School.

 Sandy grew up in the Walla Walla Farm Labor Homes. While she was in high school, her father, after years of working farms, became a truck driver, and the family moved out of the homes. Her father Jose always encouraged her and inspired her to dream big. Both her father and mother stressed the value of an education and offered support and encouragement growing up. Sandy said her father’s years working on farms, and the struggles he shared at home about work, began shaping her career aspirations.

 Sandy is a 2004 graduate of Walla Walla High School. At Wa-Hi, she was a member and leader of the Latino Club. During high school, she set her mind on going to Whitman College then to law school to become a lawyer. In 2008, she earned a degree in mathematics and economics from Whitman.

 She went on to earn her law degree from the University of Idaho in 2011, and passed the state bar exam in the summer of 2012.

 In 2012, in a Walla Walla County courtroom, Sandy Flores saw her dream of becoming an attorney become reality. Surrounded by family and friends, Sandy was sworn into the Washington State Bar Association, realizing a precedent both in her family and the community where she was born and raised. Sandy is the first lawyer in her family and the first on her father’s side to attend and graduate from college. She is the first Latina to be sworn into the bar locally.

 She returned to the Walla Walla community in August 2014, and provides public defense on a full-time basis for the County of Walla Walla. Currently, she works on dependency and criminal misdemeanor matters.

 Sandy has primarily worked for legal aid services and continues to advocate for free legal services and easy access for all. She sits on the advisory board for the BMAC pro bono law program. She is also involved in other community groups focusing on her passion for inspiring the younger generation to pursue higher education.

I present Sandy Flores, a new member of Walla Walla Noon Rotary.”

Welcome to our Rotary family Sandy!