Sonia Sotomayor

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Cardinal will feature prominent and/or historical women, living or dead, who advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, for a positive future, eliminating bias and discrimination. The Cardinal is proud to celebrate women who work for basic inclusion, equality and fairness.

Kereelyne Segura, Staff Writer

March 24, 2025

Sonia Sotomayor is a lawyer and jurist who is known for her advocacy of civil rights and being the first Latina and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York City on June 25, 1954 to Puerto Rican parents. Growing up her family faced financial hardships this led to her growing up in a public housing project in the South Bronx. Regardless of this she was known for being driven and ambitious, she excelled academically and set high goals for herself even at a young age. She attended Catholic schools which provided her with a strong foundation and inculcated a sense of discipline and values.

Sotomayor’s mother, Celina Sotomayor, particularly was a big influence growing up, she was a nurse that worked long hours and emphasized the importance of education and hard work. Her father, Juan Sotomayor, sadly passed away when she was young.

She states that watching the television show “Perry Mason”, 1957-1966, which was about a defense lawyer defending falsely accused people sparked her interest in law and justice, which she did go on to pursue. She graduated out of Cardinal Spellman High School being valedictorian of her graduating class and went on to go to Princeton University which she had a full scholarship to. She graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and then continued her education at Yale Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1979. After graduating she worked as an assistant District Attorney and prosecuted many cases.

Sotomayor has taken stances supporting affirmative action policies to promote diversity and equal opportunity in education and employment. She has used her platform to speak out on issues related to inclusion, and has a general stance on equality. Going back to 2015 to the Obergefell v. Hodges case which she was in favor of and it legalized same sex marriage nationwide which was a major victory for LGBTQ+ rights. She can also be seen as a role model for Latina women for being the first Latina woman to be in the Supreme Court.

About the Contributor

Kereelyne Segura, Staff Writer

Kereelyne Segura is a senior at Hoover High School. She grew up in City Heights her whole life and loves it there. It’s sad to say that after graduation she’s moving to somewhere in Los Angeles. Some things that she enjoys doing is going on walks, listening to music, and looking at the moon. She is 17 years old and is turning 18 on July 20. Her zodiac sign is Cancer. In these last few months that she has left in San Diego, she wants to go outside more and be more social and try new things and just better herself physically and mentally. Some of the artists that kept her going throughout her high school years were Jauria Santa, La Santa Grifa, Eva Noxious, Qendresa, $uicideboys, The Marias, Junior H, Mac Miller, Chris Travis, Xavier Wulf, Big Sad 1900 etc. Her plan after high school is to have already moved, enroll into community college and get her drivers license. She doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do yet but she hopes to figure it out and gain experience in community college. Her favorite foods right now are enchiladas, spaghetti, and chilaquiles. Her favorite drink is lemonade or jamaica. The person she looks up to the most is her dad because he’s always been there for her and always finds a way to support her. They’re like a team and she loves her father very much. She thinks she could change the world by being an open minded person, also by trying to keep our environment healthy. She believes what society could do to make the world a better place is to stop being so judgmental and stop creating stigmas around different things