Sonia did her best to make her dream of being a lawyer come true. Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. They did not have much money to help her pay for school. Sonia’s father died when she was nine. Her mother worked more than one job to support Sonia and her brother.
Sonia studied hard in school. She tried to be the best student she could be. She made good grades and won many awards. She won scholarships, or money for school, to attend Princeton University and then Yale Law School. She was an excellent student at both schools.
After graduating from law school, Sonia got her first job as a lawyer. Her dream had come true. After several years as a lawyer her dream changed again. She dreamed of becoming a judge. Her dream to become a judge came true in 1991.
In 2009, President Obama picked Sonia to be a justice. President Obama said she had done a great job as a judge and she would be a wise justice. A majority of the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Judge Sotomayor. At that time, Sonia was 55 years old. She was the 111th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has made many dreams in her life come true. Being a justice is a very important job. Justice Sotomayor will try to be the best justice she can be. She could make decisions that affect all of us for twenty or thirty years, or maybe even longer!
Activities:
1. According to this selection, find when Justice Sotomayor was born. How many years older is she than you?
2. What do you learn from Justice Sotomayor’s life experiences? What is your dream? How do you plan to realize it? Watch the video to learn about Justice Sotomayor’s career advice.
3. How does Justice Sotomayor hear a case? Watch the video below to learn.
