Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?

From the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Nov. 4, 2002, found by an FF reader:

"I had enough natural intelligence to get myself through my early education, but at Princeton I found out that my earlier education was not on par with that of many of my classmates. When my first mid-term paper came back to me in college, I found out that my Latina background had created difficulties in my writing that I needed to overcome."

Although independent and smart, she also knew when to seek academic help. During her years at Princeton, she found the help she needed.

"At that time in my life, as I was meeting all these new and very different people, taking reading classes, and relearning writing skills, Princeton was an alien land for me. I felt isolated from all I had ever known, and very unsure about how I would survive. The Puerto Rican group on campus,
Accion Puertorriquena, and the Third World Center provided me with an anchor I needed to ground myself in that new and different world."

Again, her perseverance paid off. "Because of my work with Accion Puertorriquena, the Third World Center, and other activities in which I participated, like the University's Discipline Committee, I was awarded the Pyne Prize in my senior year. The kid who didn't know how to write her first semester was honored for academic excellence and commitment to university
service with that award. When accepting the prize, I said then, and I repeat today, that it was not me who earned or deserved the prize that day; it was the third-world students who preceded me and those who had supported me while I was at Princeton who had created a place for me there and had given me comfort to grow there.

"In my years there, Princeton taught me that we people of color could not only survive there, but that we could flourish and succeed. More important, I learned that despite our differences from others at Princeton, we, as people of color with varying ethnic experiences, had become a permanent part at Princeton. It gave much to us, but we gave back to it as well.

"Princeton changed us, not just academically, but also in what we learned about life and the world. At the same time, we changed Princeton by our presence there."

Sotomayor readily admits that some things did not change about her position in society as a whole.

"The differences from the larger society and the problems I faced as a Latina woman didn't disappear when I left Princeton. I have spent my years since Princeton, while at law school and in my various professional jobs, not feeling completely a part of any of the worlds I inhabit."

Sotomayor believes that wherever one lives, it's the internal neighborhood -- what makes us tick -- our collective experiences -- that shape us and define where we live privately. She revealed some of her private territory in an acceptance speech at her induction proceedings in the
Ceremonial Courtroom, 9th Floor, U.S. Court House, 500 Pearl Street, Manhattan, back in 1998.

"I do not live in the Latina world of my youth. Instead, I have a lovely apartment in a yuppie neighborhood of Manhattan. I have worked in job environments that have been challenging, stimulating, and engrossing, but none of them are controlled by Latinos. As accomplished as I have been in my professional settings, I am always looking over my shoulder wondering if I measure up and am always concerned that I have to work harder to succeed."

She explains the impact of growing up with little money. "This is the pathology of successful Latinos and other successful individuals who come from economically deprived populations. It is hard to enjoy your success and wear it comfortably when the world we have grown up in is filled with friends and sometimes relatives who don't make it in our society at all."

At the same time, she believes one must never forget the Latin heritage. "I have also taken solace and comfort and received continued support from keeping myself anchored in my Latina heritage. Despite working and succeeding in non-Latino environments -- the Manhattan DA's Office, a private firm doing international work, a district and now circuit court judge -- I have remained
connected to and integrally involved in community activities -- Latino and non-Latino groups devoted to serving the underprivileged of our society."

Sotomayor also gives us a glimpse of challenges that different groups face. In the future, she believes some of these challenges will make it harder and harder to hold on to ethnic identities.

"Growing up, all of my family, except those that remained in Puerto Rico, lived in the Bronx within miles of each other. From technological advances, our children will have more opportunities to enjoy, but it will be harder for them to hold on to their ethnic identities. But hold on to them we must because Latinos and all minority and women's groups, despite what part of the country we live in, face enormous challenges in this society. Affirmative action, human rights, and civil liberties permeate our societal discussions," she said.

She's firm in her resolve to keep her identity intact.

"In this time of great debate, we must remember that it is not politics or its struggles that creates a Latino or Latina identity. I became a Latina by the way I love and the way I live my life. My family showed me by their example how wonderful and vibrant life is and how wonderful and magical it is to have a Latina soul.

"They taught me to love both being a puertoriquea and to love America and value its lesson that great things could be achieved if one works hard for it. Princeton and my life experiences since have taught me, however, that having a Latina identity anchors me in this otherwise alien world, and that achieving happiness as a professional had depended on my valuing and nurturing
both the Latina and American parts of who I am by giving as much as I can to those in need in our society," she finished.

Sotomayor not only has a passionate heart and belief in what she is doing as a public servant, she also does her homework and knows the score. She quoted some numbers during her acceptance speech.

"The needs of our community, the Latino community, are extraordinary -- Latinos represent the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Since 1980, the Latino population has grown about five times as fast as the non-Latino population, and Latinos are expected to be the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. in the 21st century. We number about 20.1 million out of 243.7 million Americans, excluding the 3.5 million people of Puerto Rico," she said.