Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we spotlight strong women and non-binary folks who inspire us. These characters are prime examples of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said examples to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for Spirit Riding Free, particularly Kate Flores’s arc.
Kate Flores
Fast Facts
For many, Spirit was just a movie, and the stallion’s story ended there. However, for those who wanted to take a closer look at his story, Netflix and Peacock released TV shows and movies that followed Spirit’s story as he became Lucky Prescott’s (Amber Frank) horse. In Netflix’s Spirit Riding Free, Lucky arrives in Miradero, where she meets Spirit, and their story begins.
Spirit isn’t the only character Lucky meets in Miradero. Alongside her friends, classmates and other townsfolk, she also meets Kate Flores (Tiya Sircar), aka Miss Flores. Kate is the town’s teacher, leading a classroom with children of different ages. She does her best to teach them everything she knows, keeping in mind that they are all learning at a different pace.
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At first, Lucky and Kate don’t get along. Lucky is always late and doesn’t seem to care much about school. Things get even more complicated when Kate starts dating Jim Prescott (Nolan North), and Lucky can’t adjust to the fact that her dad and her teacher are dating. She does everything in her power but can’t break them up. In the end, the two get married.
Not long after the wedding, Kate becomes pregnant. By then, she and Lucky are very close, and the teenager sees her as the mother she lost. Lucky helps Kate give birth during the last season of the show when they are stuck on a train. That is when Polly is born.
The Real Deal
The most remarkable thing about Kate Flores is that she turns her few resources into big tools for her students to learn. Kate even hides cow bones in the middle of the frontier, pretending they are dinosaur bones so her students feel they made a remarkable discovery. While this backfires and Lucky takes the blame, it shows how much Kate cares about improving her students’ lives.
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After having Polly, Kate decides to become a stay-at-home mom. This isn’t an easy decision because she has always loved teaching, but she realizes she isn’t ready to leave Polly just yet. Her decision shows another side of this character. Even though she stays home, she is more than a typical housewife. She is still very active in the Miradero lifestyle.
Why She Matters
Even though Lucky didn’t see it at first, Kate Flores has always been a reliable woman who cares deeply about those around her. She devoted her life to her students, no matter how few resources she had. Then, she dedicated her life to her daughters, ensuring they had everything they needed to be happy.
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So, be like Kate Flores. Go the extra mile for your students. Read a book to your horse. Hide cow bones when necessary. Take care of your partner when they are sick. And be ready to give birth on a train.
Spirit Riding Free is available to stream on Netflix.
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