Originally from New York, Ms. Hoyos completed her undergraduate education at New York University as a Higher Education Opportunities Program Scholar in May 2010 with a dual degree in Romance Languages and a minor in Economics. Kathleen is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. Her various language abilities afforded her the opportunity to volunteer as a translator and interpreter at the United Nations during the 2007 Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

 

Kathleen began working as a receptionist at Antonini & Cohen in June 2010 shortly after relocating to Georgia. She quickly transitioned from receptionist to paralegal and continued working full time in this position while pursuing her JD at Georgia State University. As a law student, Kathleen served as the Secretary of the Latinx and Caribbean Law Student Association from 2015 to 2016. 

 

Since relocating to Georgia, Ms. Hoyos has channeled her passion for civil and human rights into working diligently to prompt outreach and organize volunteering opportunities to benefit the Hispanic community in the state. In 2013, she became a member of the only League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council in Georgia, holding the position of Secretary through 2016. LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States, working to advance economic conditions, provide educational opportunities, political influence, access to housing, and protect the health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans nationwide. The Council’s focus was the education of youth through an annual scholarship. 

 

Kathleen has additionally channeled her passion for raising graduation rates among Latino youth by participating in the Latin American Association’s Latino Youth Leadership Conference as a mentor-guide since 2014, serving as a mentor with the Gwinnett Hispanic Mentoring Program since 2019, individually mentoring several undergraduate and law students, as well as participating in speaking engagements before students across Georgia. 

 

In 2020, Kathleen became a member of The Love Project 404, a non-profit organization focused on aiding Georgia’s underserved communities through family sponsorship, bail-out programs, mentoring and scholarships. Throughout the year, she assists with organizing collection drives benefiting the homeless community, local schools, and families as well as fundraising for rental assistance and the fulfillment of Christmas lists. Kathleen additionally participates in an annual mentoring program for young women as well as various community service engagements throughout the year. 

 

In the Summer of 2021, Kathleen accepted an invitation to serve as a volunteer faculty member for Freedom University, a modern-day Freedom School in Atlanta providing tuition-free college classes to undocumented youth unable to access higher education in Georgia due to the state's out-of-state tuition requirement.